


Sunsword

by Growing_ivy_inmymind



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Character tags will be added as they are, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Tagging, Knight!Death the Kid, Light Angst, M/M, Minstel!Liz, Pining, Rogue!Patty, Slow Burn, Witch!Maka, berserker!Black Star, bounty hunter!Soul Eater, everyone is human, hopeless lesbian pining, mentions of abuse, runaway princess!Tsubaki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2020-10-25 13:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20724872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Growing_ivy_inmymind/pseuds/Growing_ivy_inmymind
Summary: The girls were perfectly happy in their little gang. Tsubaki had joined them a little over two years ago, and Patty had been pining for her not long after she arrived but we're not going to talk about that. Maka had worked hard to keep the royal guards off their trail and bounty hunters at bay. It wasn't easy, but she'd do anything for her family. They didn't need any help.It was a normal day for them, pickpocketing, stealing, eating, running, when their camp was found. Maka and Patty went to check it out when disaster struck.With the help of the new strangers, the girls pack up and leave, searching for the legendary Sunsword. A weapon that has the power to bend light, making the wielder invisible, as well as anyone in their immediate vicinity.With this amazing weapon, will they be able to keep Tsubaki hidden from her kingdom and old family? Or will they lose her to the arranged marriage she just barely escaped from.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Little fun fact, Soul Eater was the first anime I ever watched. I'd also like to say that I have no idea what I'm doing with this fic so please bare with me.

Nothing, absolutely _nothing_, suggested that today would be any different than any other day. It was just like every other morning.

Maka was up in time to watch the sun rise through the trees. Patty woke not long after and started looking for breakfast. Liz was awake just after her twin, but like every other morning, refused to move until the food was ready and waiting on a plate. Tsubaki had to be woken by Patty once breakfast was ready.

"Maka! The foods ready!" Patty called up through the branches. Maka swung from branch to branch until her feet hit the ground. Patty was humming some tune or other that Liz had played the night before. Liz and Tsubaki were slowly waking up, moving sluggishly as they ate the eggs and ham Patty had made.

"We need to go back into town today, Maka. We're running low on a lot of our supplies." Liz mumbled as Maka sat on a moss covered log. "And we need to see if we need to move towns again. After you went to sleep last night, we heard the marches going into town."

"Ugh, already?" Maka complained. They had barely been in this particular spot for a week. "Fine, it's not like I was expecting anything to die down the farther we got."

"I'm sorry." Tsubaki whispered to her food. "If I weren't here, you wouldn't need to move around so much. I-"

"No!" Patty nearly shouted. Her cheeks were tinted pink and her eyes were fierce. "This isn't your fault! Even if you weren't here with us, we'd still have to move around. As you've noticed over the time you've been with us, we don't exactly work inside the law. But having you here only makes us move around more often and that's not a bad thing."

"Yeah. With you with us, we get to see more of the kingdoms faster than we had originally planned. None of us," Liz gave a pointed look to her sister, causing her blush to deepen, "would want you anywhere other than with us."

"But-"

"Nope. You don't get to argue a point that is wrong." Maka stated matter-of-factly. "The reason you're with us is because you were meant to be here. Otherwise, you'd be married to that jackass probably with a kid by now."

Tsubaki wanted to argue, everyone could see that, but she didn't. She knew that no matter what she said, the others would just shut her up in a way that often made her want to cry, just because of how fast they had adopted her.

They finished their meal in silence. As they were cleaning the dishes and putting out the fire Maka and Liz started making a list of things they needed to buy, trade or steal while they were in town. While they were doing that, Patty helped Tsubaki don her disguise. Using a trick Maka taught them, they used the white moss that grew everywhere to lighten Tsubaki's hair. The end result wasn't a very pretty color, but it did it's job in making her harder to recognize. The rest was easy.

Everyone hid their supplies separately and pulled their cloaks or hoods tighter to their forms. It wasn't a very long walk to the edge of the village they were staying near, but they were staying in the middle of the forest; that meant no roads and no even ground.

It was still relatively early. Not many of the shops were full enough to steal inconspicuously from, so the four girls just wandered the streets. They walked down the main road and found the bulletin board that was in every town. And just like every other town they've been through, there were at least three different posters of Tsubaki. They all read the same _**LOST PRINCESS NAKATSUKASA TSUBAKI TO BE FOUND ALIVE AND UNHARMED**_. Each flyer had a grossly large amount of money as the reward.

Tsubaki just stared at the flyers as the other girls kept walking. It was Patty that noticed they were one short.

Patty told Maka and Liz to go ahead and buy and trade what they could then walked back and stood beside Tsubaki. "They don't do you justice."

"What?" The princess didn't take her eyes away from the board.

"Those pictures of you, they don't do you justice." Tsubaki didn't respond. Patty looked around to make sure that there was no one around to catch what she was about to do. When she was satisfied that the cost was clear, Patty reached forward and unpinned a poster of the lost princess. She pinned it back on the board upside down and pulled a small charcoal stick from a pocket of her shirt. On the blank side of paper, Patty wrote**_ SHE DOES NOT WANT TO BE FOUND_** and drew three arrows pointing to the three remaining wanted posters. "Come on, we'd better get out of here before one of the marchers walks out of the inn across the street."

Tsubaki still didn't say anything, but she allowed Patty to take her hand and lead her in the direction Liz and Maka had gone.

They caught up not long after. The two girls had their arms full with bread and some cheese. In a basket, there were some fruits and vegetables that they knew they wouldn't be able to find on the road.

By that time, the main road was alive and crowded with shoppers and onlookers alike. "Patty, you ready?" Maka asked as she passed her load over to Tsubaki.

"Ready whenever you are." Patty fixed her hat so it more completely covered her face.

"Alright, girls you know the drill. Liz, Tsubaki, we'll see back at the camp in a bit." Maka adjusted her own hood lower over her eyes and walked away.

"Be careful, you two." Patty said before disappearing into the crowd in the opposite direction Maka had gone.

"Come on, Tsubaki. We'd better go before the guards begin to notice all their missing wallets." Liz said and began to weave through the crowded streets to the edge of town, Tsubaki not very far behind. At the edge of the town is where the crowds of people finally started to thin. "Hey, are you okay? You've been quieter than usual today."

Tsubaki stepped closer to Liz to make way for a horse and carriage. "I guess. Today is the day I was supposed to be married. I just keep thinking about how I'd probably be halfway through getting my hair done if I hadn't run away."

"Are you sure that's all of what's bothering you?" Liz helped her step over a log near the entrance to the forest.

"I don't know." Tsubaki sighed. "I can't help but think about how you guys would be better off if I hadn't run away. Or if I hadn't stumbled into your camp. Or if-"

"Tsubaki. Look at me." Liz stopped walking and turned around. She didn't speak until Tsubaki met her gaze. "You're right. We probably would be better off if you weren't with us. But I know two things for sure. First, even if we _were _safer without you, Maka wouldn't have her best friend, I wouldn't have someone to bounce lyrics off of and sing with, and Patty, wouldn't be as happy as she is right now. And second, I know for a fact, with absolute certainty, that you, _Princess_ Nakatsukasa Tsubaki, would be completely miserable. You'd be marrying someone who is _not _your type, and a _guy _no less. He'd probably get you pregnant tonight because of that stupid _wedding __consummation_ thing, that we all think is totally barbaric. If you hadn't run away, you wouldn't had met us and found out that you have can have _fun_. That you would rather see the world then _pay _people to sing you songs about it. You'd probably never be as happy as you are on your worst day with us. So, unless you have a _legitimate _reason to think you can't or don't deserve to be with us, you are not allowed to say things like that ever again, understand?"

Tsubaki was taken aback. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to get the words to leave her throat while trying to keep the tears from falling.

When Liz was satisfied that her message was received in the way she intended she turned and continued to lead the way back to their camp spot.

After a few minutes of silence, Tsubaki started giggling.

"What's so funny?" Liz asked as she stepped over a vine covered root.

"I think that is the most you've ever said to me all at once not about music."

Liz chuckled as she helped Tsubaki over the log. "Yeah, I guess it is."

They were back in their camp shortly after. They set down the food in their arms and gathered the hidden packs. As they were distributing the supplies they had gathered they heard a rustling of the underbrush, indicating the return of Maka and Patty.

"They're getting more and more serious about finding you, Tsubaki. There was nearly four times as many guards this time." Maka said as she set her scores next to where the two were kneeling.

"Nearly got nicked a few times. Not only were there more, but these ones were smarter too; sharper. I had to-"

"Sh. Everyone quiet for a minute." Maka interrupted. They all did what the witch said and stayed as still as they could. Patty slowly inched closer to their princess and reached for the knife in her boot. Maka was standing straight and looking forward. They had been through this routine enough times to know that someone had tripped one of Maka's alarms. "One, about an hours trek away. We better hurry."

The girls wasted no time stuffing the rest of their supplies into the bags and heading in the opposite direction of Maka's alarm.

The four of them reached a road that would eventually take them back into town. They headed deeper into the forest. The trees provided a cool shade and the breeze threatened to blow their hats and hoods from their heads. Patty was leading them at a brisk pace, with Maka bringing up the rear, to make sure that their tracks blended in with the footprints that were already present.

It was well past noon. They had passed several farms houses, pastures and private lanes when Maka said they would be safe to stop and eat for a few minutes. As they sat, Maka cast a simple glamor over the four of them, making them easy to ignore to any passerby.

Their lunch break was short and they were on the road as soon as everyone had finished eating.

"Maka." Patty called from the front. "We're approaching a new town. Through or around?"

She didn't need to think about it long. Going through Maka could put up a false trail that lead away from them. She said as much and concentrated on the new spell that she would need to hold until they were at least a few hours away from the new town.

The sun was setting by the time Maka deemed it safe enough to drop the misdirection spell and the glamor.

Liz took the lead and headed deeper into the woods, away from the trail they were on. She found a level enough spot and she and Patty began looking for wood dry enough to use for a fire.

"No fire tonight girls. That bounty hunter was too close for comfort so we need to stay as invisible as possible for the next few days. At least until we get nearer to the border." Maka threw her pack to the ground, pulled out her blanket and laid on the ground. "Pushed myself a little too hard today so I'm calling it a night."

The other three said their good nights and all except Patty made to go to sleep.

"You're not going to sleep?" Tsubaki asked when she noticed.

"Not yet. I'm going to keep watch for a little bit." Patty paused when she heard a snort come from the pile that was Liz. "Just to make sure no one was following us. Not that I don't trust Maka's abilities, just better to be safe than sorry, right?"

Tsubaki smiled softly, knowing there was more that she wanted to say but didn't. "Okay. Just don't stay up too long."

"I won't." Patty matched her smile and Tsubaki laid on the ground next to Patty's seat.

Patty sat in the dimming forest light, listening to her travel companions breathing and the evening sound of the woods. It was peaceful; calming.

The moon was slowly making its way over the forest when Patty was beginning to fall asleep. The stillness of the forest making it easy for her to drift off. But there was a noise that didn't belong. It was a ways off but slowly growing closer.

Adrenaline started rushing through her blood and she was wide awake in an instant. Patty reached for her sword. "Maka. Maka, wake up." She nudged the sleeping witch with her foot and chose to ignore the consequences of waking her up if the noise turned out to be nothing.

Maka groaned and rolled onto her back. "This better be good, or you're going to have trouble breathing for the next week."

"Listen." There was no response and Patty was worried she fell asleep again. But after a minute Maka sat up and looked around in the limited light. "How far?"

"Not far. Too close to wake up, pack up and leave."

"What's the play?" Patty asked standing and moving to the edge of their camp.

Maka was bending over a strip of cloth and muttering her night vision incantation. When she was finished, Maka passed the cloth to Patty, who wrapped it around her head and over her eyes.

As soon as the blindfold was secure, the woods around them became as clear as it would have been if it was day. Maka woke Liz and Tsubaki and told them what was happening as Patty took off in the direction of the snapping twigs. Maka then made her way up into one of the trees, to provide backup if Patty needed it.

From her vantage point in the branches, Maka could see the rogue silently making her way through the underbrush. And not more then twenty feet in front of her was the shape of their pursuer. They were nearly the same height as Patty, but it was hard to be exact from so far away. Maka watched as Patty was on him before he had time to even reach for a weapon. She gagged him and ties his hands before removing all things Patty deemed could be used as a weapon.

Maka was back on solid ground by the time Patty reached their camp with her prisoner.

"And, who are you?" Maka asked sitting in front of Tsubaki and Liz, incase he decided to lash out. Patty removed the gag and pushed him to his knees.

He didn't reply.

"Well, just looking at your clothes, you're a bounty hunter-"

"Wallet too. Was it half up front, half after you take her back to that hell hole?"

Liz had made a small fire so everyone could see what was happening. The bounty hunters red eyes caught the light as his gaze flicked over Maka's shoulder to Tsubaki.

"I'll take that as a yes." Liz said adding a few more twigs to the flames.

"Well, let me just say this here and now." Patty began, crouching behind her prisoner. "We will _never _let you or anyone else _like _you take Tsubaki back to that place. You can go back and tell her parents and _fiance _that the only way they're going to get her back is over our dead bodies _or _if she _wants _to go back. Which, currently, she does _not_. So thank you for the money and all the nice new weapons, but it's time you get on your way."

Patty pulled the bounty hunter to his feet and spun him around. "I'll be walking you to the edge of these woods, knocking you out, then me and my girls will be hightailing it out of here."

"My advice," Liz spoke up for the first time that night. "Don't follow us. My sister isn't known to be forgiving a second time. So take our message to the royal family and don't come looking for us again."

"Ya got it wrong. Well. . .mostly at least." The bounty hunter spoke as Liz started pushing him back the way they had come from.

"Is that so?" Maka asked, crossing her arms. The stranger nodded. "Then explain it to us."

Liz pushed him back down to his knees and stayed standing over him menacingly. "Yes, it was half up front, half once my task was done. But it wasn't the Nakatsukasa clan who hired me."

"Why does that make any difference to us? Your job is still to take Tsubaki away from us." Patty exclaimed.

"Because, it was her fiance's family that wants her found."

"Again, why does that matter to us?" Maka leaned forward. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about the bounty hunter that rubbed her in an unfamiliar way; though not entirely unpleasant.

"They didn't tell me the details, okay? I'm just the help. Only here to get her back to where they think she belongs." The bounty hunter was looking at Liz and Tsubaki as he was talking so he didn't see the look exchanged between Patty and Maka. It was a look of shock and suspicion. "Maybe the princess knows? And by the face she's making I think she does."

"Tsubaki? Do you know what he's talking about?" Liz asked for all three of them.

"No one really ever talked to me about it, but I overheard my father and future father in law talking about it once." Tsubaki paused, taking a deep breath, and not even the bounty hunter could hide his curiosity. "Apparently, there's a map in my head that can take me to _untold riches_. But that's all I know about it."

"Well, that explains the marchers escalation in trying to find you." Maka reasoned.

"Marchers?" The bounty hunter asked, shifting in his restraints, drawing their attention back to him.

"The knights that march through the town going door to door looking for her." Patty offered, relaxing into the fact that the bounty hunter didn't seem interested in trying to escape.

A look of understanding passed over his face. "Soo. . .what's gonna happen now?"

Maka and Patty shared another look. Neither of them new what to do now; the bounty hunter didn't care what happened, whether he was released or stayed a captor or took Tsubaki back to the fiance. The two of them turned to Liz and Tsubaki. "Tsubaki, your call. What's the play?" Maka asked.

She didn't respond at first, looking from one face to another. Liz was tired and bored and practically asleep again, she didn't really care what happened either way. Patty's eyes said she would trust whatever decision Tsubaki made. Maka was a mix of the twins. The bounty hunter is who she looked to for an answer. He seemed truly disinterested in her answer, and thus his own fate. "If we cut your ties right now and asked you to leave, what would you do?"

The bounty hunter held her gaze, thinking over his answer. "Ask the one behind me to rough me up,-"

"With pleasure."

"Then I'd leave. I'd go wherever. If I found myself heading back to their kingdom, I'd deliver your message then move on to the next bounty; yours or someone else's." His headband slid down a little, almost covering his eyes. Out of habit, probably, he tried to move to put it back in its place but the rope holding his hands behind his back prevented it.

Tsubaki studied his movements, his posture. His eyes slid over the three girls in front of him, pausing on Maka. "Earlier you said you'd take me back to "where _they _think I belong." Where do _you _think I belong?" Tsubaki asked, using air quotes and never breaking eye contact.

"I don't have an opinion." He said carefully, most likely thinking she was trying to trick him.

"If you had to have an opinion, where do you think I'd belong?" Tsubaki asked again. Liz was asleep once again leaning on her shoulder and Maka didn't look too far from following her.

The bounty hunter looked at the witch sitting between them. She was falling asleep again, still exhausted from maintaining the two spells all day and from being woken up in the middle of the night. Then he moved his stare to the bard using Tsubaki's shoulder as a pillow. He looked back to Tsubaki and was looking at the way she was sitting. The way she was leaning, to make her shoulder as comfortable as possible. The way she was fully aware of which way Maka was leaning, ready to catch her when she gave into sleep and fell forward; which she did, moments later. The expression on her face, how open it was, how much love she had for her new family, how much she loved the on-the-road lifestyle she adopted, how much she loved the freedom that came with it. "You belong here, with these girls. And despite my profession, I've never taken anyone back to an abusive situation. _Ever_."

Tsubaki watched him analyze the three in front of him. She knew that his response was the truth. She saw the way his gaze lingered momentarily longer on Maka than the other two and knew her answer instantly. "Stay with us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the road again with another surprise visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I didn't forget this fic existed! In all seriousness tho, I'm sorry it took so long to finish the next chapter, I had to finish my Tododeku fic and had to deal with school so this went on the back burner.

Two days later and one kingdom over, Maka still wasn't used to the extra body with them. The bounty hunter, Soul Eater Evans, he had introduced himself the next morning when everyone was awake and could see, had decided to stay with them as Tsubaki had suggested.

Liz and Maka were both very confused when they woke up the next morning to find that he was still with them. At the time, Patty was still holding on to his weapons and his hands were then bound in front of his body, but he was still there, laying not to far off, fast sleep.

Patty unconditionally trusted the girls, especially Tsubaki, but her call to let him tag along didn't sit quite right with her yet.

Tsubaki, not oblivious to the tension she had caused, tried to convince Liz and Maka to let him to tag along for at least a few days. They eventually caved.

It was still too soon for them to call it trust, or to return Soul's weapons, but they were working on it.

It was a week later when Soul earned back his weapons. He was always up as early as Maka, which everyone chose to ignore. And while Maka was off a ways collecting herbs and more white moss, another bounty hunter tracked them down. He had somehow made it passed Maka's alarms without setting them off and was far too close for anyone to like.

Soul would never admit it, but when he heard the carelessly loud bounty hunter, his adrenaline was pumping and he started worrying about what would happen if he wasn't able to subdue the intruder.

So this is what the girls feel every time someone spends too long looking at them. Soul thought to himself as he crouched and waited for the best opening.

Three punches to the stomach and a kick to the head later, the bounty hunter was tied up and kneeling. Soul was already beginning to feel the bruises form, but was relieved that even without his weapons he was still able to come out on top.

Everyone was awake now and Maka had a certain smile in her eyes. It almost looked like she knew what was happening. When she looked over to Soul, he looked away, so he didn't see the smirk that made its way onto her face.

Patty gave the same speech to the bounty hunter that she gave to Soul when they first met. Only this time, the answers they got were wrong. He was knocked out, tied to a tree, and after stripping him of all his weapons of course, the five of them were on their way.

When Patty dreamed they were a safe distance away from the unconscious bounty hunter, she gave Soul all his weapons back.

Soul must have had looked shocked because she said, "I can't carry both yours and the other guys weapons. You might as well start pulling your own weight."

Despite her harsh words, Soul could see the gratitude his her eyes.

They walked until they found a small village in the middle of nowhere. After scoping it out and deeming it safe enough, the fugitives made their way into the forest. Liz found a large enough spot for all of them. Maka went around and started setting up her alarms and barrier spells while the rest of the group worked on starting a fire and setting up camp.

It was Liz and Soul who were in charge of getting the fire wood.

"She'll never say it outloud, but Patty is grateful. For what you did this morning." Liz said at one point.

"She really likes her, doesn't she?"

"Another thing I doubt she'll say any time soon. Despite how painfully obvious it is to everyone except Tsubaki."

"And what about you? You got your eye on anyone?"

"Nope. Relationships aren't for me." Liz smiled, knowing where this _innocent _line of questioning was going.

"Good for you." There was a long pause and Liz started to wonder if he was brave enough to actually ask what he wanted to. "And. . .and what about Maka?"

"Don't worry, she swings your way and is single. And I'm pretty sure that she wouldn't say no to a peaceful walk in the woods."

Soul didn't say anything, but the sound of the branches in his arms falling was enough of an answer.

The two of them finished collecting kindling in a somewhat awkward silence. Both unaware of the witch eavesdropping from the among the treetops.

She didn't mean to listen in to their conversation, but she didn't want to move from her spot once she had finished setting her incantations in place. So, she stayed where she was and was enjoying the hum of the evening forest sounds, only disturbed by her companions.

It was inevitable that Soul would eventually get curious about the group dynamics at some point, anyone would. But, why of all people he had to be talking to to get answers, why did it have to be Liz? Maka loved her like a sister and was grateful for her ability to lighten everyone's mood with one of her songs, but the girl had a knack for meddling and more often than not, didn't know how to keep some information to herself.

Maka had nearly fell out of the tree at the realization of why the end of their conversation disturbed her so much. Sure, she wouldn't deny that Soul could be considered attractive, and there was something about him that she couldn't put her finger on that compelled her to look at him just a second longer. But what Liz was implying was just so wrong!

Wasn't it?

Maka was concerned for her family, and she was curious of the new member. That was _it_. Nothing more.

Then why did her heart start beating just a little faster when she heard Soul say her name?

Maka took a deep breath, cleaning her mind. There was nothing else she needed to do, but it would be better for everyone if her head was clear.

She looked to the sky. Through the sparse leaves and thin branches, Maka could make out the few constellation she had learned when she was a kid. The moon was nearly gone and the sky was empty of clouds, it would have been a perfect night for just watching the stars move.

But Maka had worn herself out. She had used too much magic again that day, always making sure there was no way anyone could follow them by tracking alone.

Tsubaki knew that the minute Maka didn't come back down once her spells were in place, she was just enjoying the view. One of the few things Tsubaki knew about the witches past was that she had spent most of her childhood on the flats. A great expanse of open fields that went on for miles. She stayed there with her mother, learning everything that she knew. That is until she had to move in with her father in the city. From what she had learned, Maka had barely stayed with him for a year before she ran away.

Tsubaki wanted to know more, but she knew better than most there were some things that people didn't want to share, and she could respect that.

That didn't stop her from worrying when Maka would push her magic past its limits and hardly speak to them for days at a time. It didn't stop her from wondering. She wondered if Patty and Liz knew, seeing as the sisters had been with Maka for years before Tsubaki had joined.

"Hey, you all good?" Patty's voice was soft when she interrupted the princesses thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what?" Patty paused, before thinking of what she said. "Never mind, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

"I was just thinking about where I would be now if I didn't run away with you. Where you would be." It wasn't a lie, thoughts like that we're always running in the back of her head. Making her very conscious of all the unnecessary stress she brought to the group.

"I thought we all told you not to worry about that kind of stuff." Patty scolded for the millionth time. "We all love having you here. And even a stranger like Soul could see that you are meant to be here with us, not sitting in some stuffy castle room. I'd-we'd all appreciate it if you stopped worrying about it."

Tsubaki stared at the girl before her and took note of the fierce shine in her eyes.

"Look, those thoughts were somewhat acceptable to have back when you first joined us, but now that you've been with us so long, you should know that we really don't care about having to be just a little more careful. It's actually probably a good thing. When you met us we were starting to get a little reckless." Patty took a deep breath. "In all honesty, if you hadn't run into our camp, the three of us would probably be in one cell or another."

Tsubaki hummed in response and went back to rolling out her blanket.

What Patty said was true, and Tsubaki knew that. But she just couldn't help thinking about where everyone would be if she had just stayed at the castle.

"We're back!" Liz sang. She and Soul held the wood and kindling for the fire in their arms. Both signing in relief when they let the branches fall to the ground. "Where's Maka?"

"Still in the trees." The princess answered gathering some of the firewood.

"She's still pushing herself too hard, isn't she?" Patty asked, bringing a dark mood to their camp site.

"Yeah. And she's pulling in again." Liz answered, referring to Maka's tendency to pull away from everyone.

"Well, it is getting close to that time of year again." Tsubaki felt the need to defend the witch, even though no one was accusing her of anything.

"What do you mean?" Soul asked, ignoring the solemn mood. He reached into his bag and pulled out his flint and steel to start tonights fire.

"Around this time of year, her mom disappeared and she had to move from the country to the city to live with her dad. Not that she stayed there long, but still." Liz offered what she could, but didn't elaborate.

The four on the ground watched in silence as the flames grew, bringing warmth to the cooling night air.

At one point, Liz pulled out her flute and began playing one of her happier songs. Tsubaki started to sing and Patty clapped along. Soul just watched as the girls drove off the quiet mood and easily made the night fun.

From her spot in the trees, Maka could hear Tsubaki and Liz with one of their songs. It brought a small smile to her lips. It was a peaceful night. Calming to know that everyone was able to have fun despite the cooling temperatures and raising difficulty to go unnoticed.

Maka stayed where she was, listening to the girls music and the evening sounds the forest made.

She watched as the stars slowly made their way across the sky as the night wore on.

Off in the distance there was a noise that didn't fit in with nature, and Maka honed in on it as soon as she noticed it.

It was one man. He was talking to himself as he set up his own camp. Using an enhancement spell, Maka was able to learn that the man was just complaining about the cooling nights and the difficulty to find good food in the woods. He was, at the moment, harmless.

It wasn't uncommon that someone would accidentally trip one of Maka's alarms just trying to find a flat enough spot to camp.

Maka decided that it was getting late, so she climbed back down and moved through the group of sleeping bodies. Unaware of the pair of red eyes that watched her move as she rolled out her blankets.

* * *

In the morning Maka was woken before the sun by one of her alarms.

She sat up, adrenaline immediately flowing through her body. Maka strained her ears trying to gauge how far away they were and if it was actually just the man from the night before just trying to find a good spot to go to the bathroom.

Maka could tell from her spot on the ground so she scaled the nearest tree and focused.

It was the man from the night before, but he was no longer a harmless neighbor. His camp was packed and he was making his way towards everyone.

There wasn't enough time for her to climb back down, wake them up and leave, or to climb down and get Patty and Soul ready to fight, so she settled on her third and final plan.

Maka broke a twig from its spot and threw it to the ground, hoping it landed on anyone but Liz. She then started from tree to tree before dropping to the ground just in front of the man.

In the early morning light, Maka could see that he was a Berserker. Not something she wanted to deal with so early in the morning, or at all in all honesty.

_I just need to hold him off long enough for Soul and Patty to get here._ Maka thought as the man finally noticed her and took up a fighting stance, pulling a broad sword from his back.

"Shit." Maka quickly put a shield around herself. As soon as she was done casting the simple spell she could that she was still to drained from yesterday to last very long. The shield was weak and her opponent hadn't made a move against her yet.

This was not going to be a good day.

The berserker lunged and Maka dodged, the sword glancing off the shield and weakening it.

"A witch, huh? You're gonna be easy." The berserker laughed, loud and obnoxious.

"Don't be so sure." Maka prayed that her bluff was good and that she had more magic than she thought she did. _Come on guys, someone wake up._

Maka cast a disorientation spell and hoped that it was strong enough for its intended vertigo effect and not just making him a tipsy kind of wobbly.

"Cute. But something tells me that that was supposed to be stronger." Despite his words, his next lunge for Maka was off and unsteady.

Maka aimed an energy beam for his feet, knocking him to the ground.

She was still fighting alone.

"Hoping for someone to come and help?" It was almost as if he could read her mind, but Maka wasn't exactly being subtle about looking over her shoulder for any of her friends.

The man lunged, his aim much better then the time before, and Maka was late getting out of the way. The strength of the attack shattered her shield and the sword grazed the skin just below the ribs on her right side.

Maka yell out in pain and frustration, furious that she had used too much magic yesterday and how helpless she was without it.

Maka retreated a few steps, but the berserker wasn't far behind, continuously lunging, adjusting his aim every time the vertigo spell threw off his aim ever so slightly.

Spelling a root to raise itself a little further from the ground, Maka lept to the side and grinned triumphantly when the berserkers foot got caught underneath and sent him flying face first into the dirt.

He sword flew out of his hands and Maka took the opportunity to take the fallen weapon. Her opponent got up and pulled another broad sword from the sheath on his back.

The sword in her hand was heavy and difficult to lift with precision. The berserker saw this and laughed. "I think you were better off with your pathetic attempt at magic."

Maka merely grit her teeth and got ready to defend as best as she could.

The man lunged again and Maka barely had time to block the attack. The ringing sound of metal on metal echoing through the woods.

"Maka!" Once the ringing died down she heard her name being called.

"Soul! Help!" All Maka had to do was stay standing long enough for Soul and Patty to show up and finish her fight.

That was easier said than done. The second her name was called by Soul Eater, the berserker pulled back and attacked again. Maka was too slow and distracted to effectively block and the sword opened a nice long cut along her leg.

Another attack left her left arm useless.

"Maka!"

The man took the opportunity to use the butt of his sword to strike her temple.

Maka fell backwards, dropping the sword in her hand and tried to keep her eyes open and see through the blood dripping from her forehead.

As she was blacking out, Maka could make out the back of Soul's headband as he launched himself at the man standing over her. She barely saw Soul take a punch to the stomach and use his own blade to swipe at the berserkers neck.

Soul was shortly joined by Patty in attacking the berserker, while Liz and Tsubaki dragged Maka away from the fight back to their camp.

"Where does Maka keep her medical supplies?" Tsubaki asked, panicked.

"Secret pocket in the back of her bag." Liz answered, putting pressure on the gash on her leg. "He must have hit an artery, there wouldn't so much blood otherwise."

"Here." Tsubaki passed over the red moss that she had seen Maka use on Patty on more than one occasion. "It'll stop the bleeding. At least a little bit."

Liz took the dull red moss and secured it over the wound on Maka's ribs. Tsubaki did the same with the cut on her upper arm.

"What was she thinking?" Liz muttered as she took the needle and thread from her own bag. "Why didn't she wake any of us up?"

"She probably didn't have enough time. What else do you need me to do?"

"Get me some water and more moss."

With every clash of swords, Liz and Tsubaki flinched. It had been a long time since any attempt to get the princess had gotten this far out of hand.

"I knew she was pushing herself too far." Tsubaki muttered as she wrapped a bandage around Maka's arm before moving to the wound below her ribs.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. Even if you had said anything to her about it, if she didn't ignore you, she would have just pushed herself harder. She's a stubborn witch, but that's how I know she'll be okay." Liz knew that Tsubaki's silence meant she was blaming herself again, but right now, Maka's leg needed all her attention.

Tsubaki had cleaned the small cut on Maka's forehead and wrapped it in a bandage by the time Liz was finished sewing up the gash on her leg.

"We need to start packing up." Liz said once she and Tsubaki had done all they could for the unconscious witch. "As soon as she's awake and Patty and Soul are done, we need to get moving."

The sounds of their sword fight continued. Neither Patty or Soul could get a good enough opening to disarm or knock out the berserker.

This only made him laugh. "You can't touch me. I overestimated you guys. I thought this was going to be a challenge. But your witch put up a better fight then the two of you."

He was goading them on, and they fell for it.

But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Once properly motivated, Patty was a thing to be feared.

It didn't take long for them to wrap up the fight. What finally made them stall in attacking each other was, surprisingly, Tsubaki.

Once she and Liz were done packing everyones stuff, the princess got a strange feeling telling her to go watch the fight.

She silently crept to the edge of the little fighting arena and was shocked to say the least.

"Black Star? What are you doing here?" Tsubaki's voice made everyone freeze.

The berserker found where she was standing and a wide smile broke across his face. "Hey, Tsubaki. Long time no see, huh?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I get you guys? Were you able to guess that it was Black Star? I was torn between making it obvious and not so idk what I actually ended up writing.
> 
> So I'm almost done with my semester, and I only have one final, so I should be able to get the next chapter out much sooner (and that's not accounting for writers block and procrastination.)
> 
> Sorry! I didn't realize I forgot I had to change the chapter things manually.
> 
> Your guys's comments are the only reason I'm still alive. Come scream at me or with me on [Tumblr.](https://growingivyinmymind.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another fight and their first failed battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk when I posted the last chapter so idk how long it's been but here's the next one!

"Hey, Tsubaki. Long time no see, huh?"

Patty and Soul were confused to say the least. They wore matching _what the fuck is happening_ faces as they watched the princess approach the berserker without fear.

"Tsubaki, wait." Patty snapped out of her confusion induced trance and grabbed Tsubaki's wrist.

"Don't worry, Patty. Black Star is an old friend. He wouldn't hurt me."

"Ok, but he did hurt Maka, and I'm sure Soul and I have a few new bruises now."

Soul watched as a look of understanding passed over both Tsubaki and Black Star's faces.

"I'm sorry about that." Black Star said in a matter of fact tone, yet still managed to sound genuinely apologetic.

"What do you want with Tsubaki?" Patty ignored the apology and put herself back between the princess and berserker.

"Honestly? Nothing. I just wanted to make sure she was okay." The berserker sheathed his broad sword and sat cross legged on the ground. "I kept seeing her missing posters and after a while I got worried. When we would hang out, she always talked about running away, so I figured that's what she did. But when the posters weren't coming down, I didn't know if she really did run away or was for reals kidnapped. No offence Tsubaki, but I never really thought you'd be able to run away successfully."

"It's ok, I didn't either." Soul could see the irritated face Patty made when Tsubaki smiled sympathetically to the man they were fighting only moments ago.

"So I started looking for you. At one point, I ran in to your asshole of a brother and since he recognized me he offered to buy me a few drinks. I wanted to know what was happening so I said yes, and after he had a few too many he started talking about why it was so, so, so very important to get you back."

The berserker stopped when he heard a bird mimic. Patty and Tsubaki knew, and Soul was learning, that it was Liz trying to figure out if they were still there and okay.

"Leave all your weapons here and follow us." Patty said as way of explanation before dropping Tsubaki's hand and marching off back to the camp.

Soul watched as Black Star removed all his weapons, even the ones that were hidden and buried in his bag, ones that Soul wasn't able to spot. _He totally could have left some of those on and none of us would've noticed._ That thought turned Souls opinion of the guy.

"Soul? Are you okay?" Tsubaki asked as the two of them followed behind the berserker.

When Soul looked back at her, he could see the guilt all over her face. She felt responsible for what had happened to Maka, but there was something more; it was fear. Soul could tell that Tsubaki was afraid of what Patty's angry silence meant. "We're both fine, nothing to serious that you need to worry about. But once you have a minute, talk to her. She's just a little jealous I think. She'll be fine once she cools off and you and Black Star explain."

There was a long pause before, "okay."

Soul looked up as he entered their camp and he wouldn't admit it, but his eyes immediately sought out the witch and his heart twinged when he saw her bandaged and unconscious next to Liz. He sat next to her and listened to Black Star's explanation.

"Once your brother was drunk, he started talking, loudly I gotta add, about the map in your head."

"The one that lead to untold riches, what about it? Aside from the obvious?"

"Well, the reason your ex-fiance's family is so interested in it is because it's rumoured to be somewhere in their territory. And your family wants it cause they're greedy bigots. They agreed to share the wealth and with the wedding it ensured no back stabbing. But apparently, it's not treasure, like gold and rubys and stuff that the map leads to. According to your drunk brother it leads to a super powerful weapon. He called it the sunsword." Black Star finished his explanation and looked around. Pausing when he noticed the death glare Patty was giving him.

"Did he tell you what the sunsword did? What was so special about it?" Tsubaki asked, their past relationship allowing her to trust the blue haired boy.

"Only that it would always protect the welder. He didn't say any more than that. Sorry."

No one spoke, everyone wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Soul could cut the tension between them with a spoon. He could see Patty planning a murder, Liz was more or less disinterested, Tsubaki was most likely planing out what to say to Patty, and Black Star looked around oblivious to the bomb that his presence and story just dropped.

_One thing at a time._

"Black Star, how do you and Tsubaki know each other? You said that you guys knew each other when you were younger, but that was it."

"Oh! My family are mercs for hire and made a rep for themselves that I didn't want to be a part of, so when they were talking business with Tsubaki's parents, I wandered around and found the princess crying in the garden. We started talking and we found out that we had a few things in common. We're the same age and if we both followed our hearts, we'd disappoint our families. She likes girls and I like guys. And I didn't want to hurt people like my family does."

Soul watched for Patty's reaction as Tsubaki's childhood friend came out to them. There was a considerable change to say the least. Murderous turned to something close to pity.

"And I kinda hid in the castle while my family went and did their job. So Tsubaki and I hung out all the time and became friends. Secretly of course. If her family found me, if I was allowed to live, I'd probably never be able to see her again."

"So what happened once your family got back from their job?" Liz asked, as Soul quickly learned, she was always ready to hear a new story.

"Wll, I had to go with them, but one morning not long after, I saw my dad kill a man because he didn't move out of the way fast enough or something. And I was like, nope I'm not gonna stay and be a part of this. So I ran away and snuck back in to see Tsubaki. I stayed with her for a bit then I decided to hit the road, try and make a name for myself that was bigger than my families."

"And that was what, like five, six years ago?" Tsubaki asked, pulling out some jerky to nibble on.

Reminding Soul (and his stomach) that none of them had had breakfast that morning and it was already almost noon.

"Yeah something like that." Black Star responded, eyeing the meat.

"Patty, help me with breakfast?" Soul asked standing. Even though Soul could see that she no longer wanted to kill the berserker immediately, it probably be best if there was some distance between the two.

She nodded and moved stiffly to stand.

"I-I'll get a fire going." Tsubaki muttered, not meeting anyones eye.

Liz watched as Soul took her time bomb of a sister away from the tension.

"Is your witch gonna be okay?" The new and unfamiliar voice drew her gaze back to the two in front of her.

"She'll be limping for a while if she doesn't use her magic to heal herself, which she most definitely do. But she'll be fine." Liz said, knowing full well that Maka takes advantage of every opportunity to over use her magic. "And fair warning, she's gonna be _pissed_ when she wakes up and will get back at you, to make it fair."

"Good." Liz and Tsubaki were surprised at the answer and Black Star could see their shock. "I wouldn't feel right. We surprised each other and I struck first out of reflex, mostly. She wasn't holding back so I didn't either. I don't like hurting people, especially a friend of a friend."

The answer and explanation made Tsubaki laugh. "You haven't changed, Black Star."

"Yeah, but you have. You seem to like it here."

"I do. I-"

Patty and Soul came bursting back into camp frantic and tensed.

"Girls, hide and make sure Maka stays asleep. If she starts to wake up, there's some blue lichen in my bag, put it under her tongue and she'll be out for a few hours. Black Star, ride or die time. Hope you're ready for another fight." Soul tossed the berserker one of his swords and dropped the rest of his gear to the ground.

An eager smirk made its way onto his face. "I'm always ready for another fight."

"Good. There's about three dozen marchers moving fast." Soul finished his explanation as he fished a few more blades from his pack.

"They followed you trail, but we'll talk about that when this is over." Patty spat, securing the braces on her arms.

"I don't leave trails." Black Star's tone was defensive, but Soul could hear the doubt in his voice.

"Right now, it doesn't matter. We can't run because Maka can't move, so we have to fight. Patty, take all your hostility and direct it to the more immediate threat to us, okay?" Soul was answered with silence, but he knew that she would do anything to keep them safe.

All geared up, the three fighters made their way to the approaching enemy.

Soul didn't believe in the gods, but he still said a small prayer. There was too much happening at once. They needed to win this fight. Maka needed to fully recover, physically and spiritually. She wasn't very useful when she wasn't at full strength, and this past week she had been pushing herself past every limit, completely draining herself. Liz and Tsubaki, while useful to the group in many ways, were practically helpless in a fight. If they didn't win this fight, they'd all be killed and Tsubaki would end up back in the hands of her abusive family. Patty was the best fighter Soul Eater had seen in awhile, as long as she could stay focused on the fight. Which was easier said than done. And from their brief morning together, Soul could see that Black Star was a ruthless fighter, and he did care about his childhood friend, but he had a ego that he let stand in his way, but strangely enough that was also what made him fight harder.

Their odds were good, as long as everyone could focus._ It wouldn't hurt to have some extra help, though._

The three split up and moved to surround the troops, hoping to pull off a surprise attack.

Soul got into position and waited to hear Patty's bird call and hoped that Black Star was able to recognize it as the signal.

He only had to wait a minute before he heard it. Soul launched himself from his hiding spot and was able to knock out three soldiers before they caught on to what was happening.

That was the only good thing that happened.

There were many more than they had guessed and Black Star felt the need to point it out as well.

"There are a bit more than you guys said. I was expecting this to be an easy fight, but this is going to be much more fun." There were already five spread around his feet.

"You little shit!" One of the armored men shouted as he charged the berserker.

Soul couldn't watch to see how their fight would end, though he had a pretty good idea, he had his own opponents to focus on. "I don't suppose you'd leave if I ask nicely?"

"Yeah right, kid. You stole our prin-" Soul knocked his out before he could continue his mission statement.

"Hey now. I didn't steal anyone, she ran away on her own. Besides, I only joined them like this week." Somewhere to his left he heard Patty laugh, Soul didn't know if it was because of what he said or if she was just _that _excited to hurt some people, but he was just glad that she was using her frustration constructively.

They fought on. It seemed to Soul that there was a steady stream of reinforcements, no matter how many they took down, there was always more. The banter they had at the beginning died out soon after, with everyone quickly realizing that this was not going to be an easy fight.

The sun was setting and the three were down to their last opponent. He was good, holding the three of them back all on his own. All his companions were either knocked out, too injured to move or fight, or on the run. He wasn't tired, having waited until he was the only one left to attack. He waited until all his compatriots had worn the three of them down.

Patty's good sword arm was now useless and she could hardly see through the blood and sweat that ran into her eyes. Black Star couldn't put any pressure on his right leg and was having a lot of trouble breathing because of a few broken ribs. Soul was probably in worse condition than the other two. Having conditions matching both of the others, in addition to a swollen black eye, and more than a few stab wounds was threatening to pull Soul Eater into unconsciousness.

"Please just give up. None of you can fight anymore. If you do you'll risk permanently damaging yourselves, that is if you don't die." The knight looked bored, though it was obvious that he was high alert.

"Not. . .not a. . .chance." Black Star gasped.

"I'm a little surprised in you Black Star. I didn't think that you'd risk so much for someone you knew for only a short while." He was giving everyone a chance to catch their breath to make it a fair fight and none of them like it.

"Don't talk like you kno-" Black Star was interrupted be coughing. When he pulled his hand away, there was blood on his palm. He ignored it and continued. "Like you know me."

"I do know you. Though I suppose that one night of drinking together doesn't necessarily count as _knowing _someone." The knight took in the confused expressions and elaborated. "I was accompanying Prince Masamune when he invited you to drink. He knew that you two were friends in the past and believed that you could lead us to the princess. He was right."

"I knew it! I'm gonna kill you once we deal with him." Patty growled, spitting blood from her mouth.

"Oh, don't blame him. He didn't leave any physical trail for us to follow. That night when he left he got a considerable head start. A much bigger lead then I would have liked. But no matter, we implored the help of a witch who gave us a tracking spell."

"Told you I don't leave trails." Black Star muttered trying to get in a more comfortable fighting stance with only using one leg.

"Not the time guys." Soul gasped, feeling himself quickly slipping away from the land of the waking.

"Your friend is righ-" The knight was cut off and went rigged. He dropped his sword and his hands were pulled to his side. His feet snapped together, causing his to lose balance.

"What?" Black Star asked looking around.

Everyone's gaze stopped on Maka.

She was panting heavily, only being held upright by leaning all her weight on a tree. She was pale as a ghost and her nose was bleeding, if Soul had to guess it was because she was using mana she didn't have to use magic.

Patty took the opportunity to knock out the paralyzed knight. Once he was out, Maka dropped her spell and started falling.

Soul dove and was able to keep Maka from getting another head injury from the fall, nearly passing out at the sudden movement.

He was surprised to see that she was still awake. "Idiot, what were you thinking?" The witch managed to say. It was hardly above a whisper and didn't have any of the threatening tone she was probably going for.

"You're one to talk." Soul responded, his voice surprisingly gentle.

"You're _all_ idiots." Liz shouted from the direction Maka had come from. "Tsubaki! Come help me get our idiots back to the camp."

Tsubaki supported Patty and Black Star, acting as a crutch for the two as they slowly made their way back to the campsite. Liz helped Soul get Maka onto his back like a backpack, then acted as his crutch.

"What are we gonna do?" Liz whispered as the slowly climbed over a fallen tree. It was more to herself than anyone but Soul still felt the need to answer.

"We have to keep moving, otherwise, we'll lose Tsubaki, and probably our lives."

"But we can't. You and Black Star can hardly walk or breathe. Patty isn't any better and Maka needs to rest, which she'll only do if we keep her unconscious. And Tsubaki and I can't fight, or carry you all, we can't go to town without Maka's simple glamor spells to get any medicine or supplies. We're useless."

"You're not, though. True you two aren't the strongest, and you can't fight. But you are the ones that keep everyone's spirits up. I know I haven't been with you guys all that long so I don't have much insight to offer, but I do know that you two keep everyone happy, which is as important as alive."

They had arrived at the edge of their camp and saw Tsubaki looting everyone's bags for bandages and medicine as Black Star and Patty wiped away as much blood as they could. "Okay."

The two of them laid Maka on her blanket and Soul grabbed the blue lichen from his bag and tried to clean his finger off before putting the lichen under her tongue.

Soul looked up to see Liz tending to her sister and Tsubaki helping Black Star.

They were all luck to be alive, but they couldn't stay there any longer and none of them were in good enough condition to travel. They were thoroughly fucked.

And this is what I get for asking for help. Soul thought as he cleaned his own wounds. His head growing fuzzier by the second. I need to stop the bleeding before I pass out.

"Here, bite down of this." Tsubaki said, holding a stick in front of Black Stars mouth. They had to reset his leg, and even though it wouldn't be hard to find where they were, it was probably best that they didn't make more noise than necessary. Black Star bit down and laid back. "Liz, help me set his leg."

Liz move over to the berserker and held him down when he started writhing in pain. There was a sickening snap and Black Star groaned around the wood in his mouth, falling still.

With Black Star passed out from the pain, Tsubaki moved to help Soul. Liz shook her head and went over to the bounty hunter, leaving the princess to tend to Patty.

Most of Patty's mounds were superficial, easy to deal with alone, but she put her hands down when Tsubaki insisted on taking over.

Liz smiled at the two girls before turning back to Soul Eater. "You're a mess. How are you this banged up?"

"I fought more than the other two, and I'm a lot more reckless."

"I don't think that's something you should brag about." Liz scolded as she removed the splinters of wood that managed to lodge themselves in his back.

"How did Maka manage to sneak away from the two of you?" Soul asked, trying to keep the thought of what they had to do next from becoming dark and overbearing.

"We gave her the moss like you told us to, but she managed to spit it out somehow and probably used a glamor hybrid spell so we didn't notice her slip away until she was gone."

As if on cue, the witch in question spit out the lichen Soul put under her tongue and sat up. She put a hand to her head and grimaced. "Stop giving me that stuff, it makes my mouth feel funny."

"Well, it's good to know that it doesn't work on you." The pounding in Soul's head was slowly going away as they managed to stop most of the bleeding.

"What is it anyway? What's it supposed to do?"

"It helps people sleep. Most people, anyway." Soul explained. He looked up to Maka, her eyes were squinted shut and she was getting paler. "Stop that, Maka! You could kill yourself if you use too much magic."

"But I have to do something. I know none of you can fight anymore and I doubt that those soldiers are just gonna leave us be for a few days."

The two had a staring contest. Liz quickly noped her way out of their vicinity, giving up on helping Soul.

Soul was the first to relent, seeing that there was no arguing with Maka on this. "_Fine_. Just. . ." Soul dug around in his bag looking for the rest of his stash. "Just eat this if you insist on using more mana that you don't have." He pulled out a small satchel full of flowers that seemed to be darker than black. "Actually we should probably all have some of this." Soul gave Maka a handful and she looked at it skeptically before looking up at Soul again.

Soul put two of the flowers into his mouth, trying to not gag at their taste. "They taste awful but they'll give us an adrenaline boost." He gave Patty one and told Liz and Tsubaki to split one.

"What about Black Star?" Tsubaki asked as she forced down the horrible tasting flower.

"We should wait until he wakes up on his own." Maka said putting one of the flowers in her mouth.

"All of them, please, Maka." Soul requested, watching as she scrunched her nose.

She coughed, and the rest of them laughed, as she forced the rest of them into her mouth.

All of them oblivious as the knight from before watching them from a way off with a bewildered look on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . . .yeah, so that happened and I don't know what it was either. 
> 
> See you guys next chapter!
> 
> Come scream at me or with me on [Tumblr.](https://growingivyinmymind.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'll keep watch"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished editing and it's super late, so if I missed anything I'm sorry.

After eating the flowers, everyone seemed much more prepared for anything that might happen next, and Maka wasn't running on empty anymore so everyone agreed that a few small and simple spells to heal and keep them hidden wouldn't hurt her too much.

Maka took the liberty of also seeing how far and how many soldiers there were. Her look of surprise was only noticed by Soul Eater.

"What's up?" He asked keeping his tone low.

"They're all gone. All of them, they're just gone."

"Wait, what?" Soul was so confused he forgot that they were trying to keep their conversation between the two of them.

"What what? What are we what-ing about?" Patty asked.

"Everyone you just fought. They're all gone. They're not in the forest anymore." Maka had a dazed look on her face and she was getting pale again.

"That's a good thing, right?" Black Star had woken up and wasted no time matching everyone's mood. He really fits with the group, surprisingly. Soul thought as he watch the blue haired boy wince as he sat up.

"Most likely not. They're probably getting reinforcements. They'll be back in a few hours and surround our camp so we can't get out and while we're all busy fighting they'll grab Tsubaki." Liz explained, having spent enough time observing knights and how they work.

"What do we do then?" Tsubaki spoke for the first time since her childhood friend woke up.

"Our best play is to run. Get as far away from here as we can. If we get caught, we fight. If not, hopefully we make it to the next kingdom and get at least a few more hours between us while the knights are held up with coming to an agreement about moving in foreign territory." Maka paused, giving everyone a chance to object or suggest something else. No one did. "Alright. Pack everything up and I'll take down the wards." She walked off into the woods, but was still in ear shot if anyone needed her.

All of Soul's equipment was already pack as he watched the witch walk into the forest. He stood and followed.

"You're gonna need this if you are gonna insist on being stupid and using more magic." He passed her the bag that held the black flowers.

She didn't say anything at first, just looked at the burlap pouch that sat in her cupped hands. "Why? Why are you giving me this? And how do you know what happens when a witch uses up all their mana? Why are you here with us? Why do you care about what happens?"

Soul looked out into the forest as he thought about his answer, because he didn't fully understand either. "I don't know." He finally said. "I've never really had the kind of relationship that you have with the girls, never really had a family. I'm not telling you this because I want you to feel sorry for me."

"Good, cause I don't" Her tone was serious, but Soul saw the mischievous glint in her eyes when she looked at him.

"I guess I also wanted to see what would happen. Cause she is a hot topic everywhere, your princess. Everywhere I went when I was looking for you, she was all anyone was talking about." Soul took a breath. "For the flowers, I'm the only one who knows how to find them. And after being with you for just a week I could see how far you push yourself. I can't make you stop, so the least I can do is make sure you don't die."

"And what about how you know about a witch's mana use?"

"I think that information requires at least four weeks together. Sorry, but I don't make the rules." This made Maka laugh, it was small and weak due to exhaustion and over exertion, but it was there and it made Soul's heart do a uncomfortable fluttering thing. Not that he would ever admit it or acknowledge that it happened at all.

"Fair enou-"

"We're ready to go you guys." Liz called with a tone that suggested she knew she was interrupting something.

"Well, better hit the road I guess."

\---

They had been walking for nearly three hours. The sun had gone down an hour ago and only the weak light of the moon and stars lit their path. None of them said anything about wanting to stop or slow down, fully aware that marchers could be only a few leagues away. And, despite the energy that Soul's black flowers gave them, they were all still too worn and weak to be effective in a fight.

Maka was using her magic to erase their tracks, and occasionally to look around them to see if there were any people nearby, anyone that was neutral or foe. Sometimes she would take them around, to avoid running into anyone. All the while, she would be munching on the flowers like they were a snack.

Soul wanted to tell her that she'd make herself sick if she kept eating them like that, but he held his tongue because he knew that she wouldn't listen.

The moon was at the highest point in the sky when they crossed the border. As soon as they did, the ground became more rocky.

"Everyone walk on the rocks." Maka had ordered. She was getting paler by the second and her step were slow and deliberate. She was out of magic and Soul could tell she was just one spell away from falling over.

And one spell later she did. She was checking again for followers and she either didn't see where she was stepping, or she didn't actually move her foot, only thought she did. Either way the result was the same, she was falling forward. If Soul Eater wasn't walking so close to her she probably would have gotten another cut on her face from the sharp rocks.

Soul passed his bag to Patty as she passed with a nod and nelt on the ground in front of Maka with his back to her. "Alright, get on."

"What? No! I'm fine I just need a second. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up." Maka was no longer walking, but she was swaying dangerously.

"Not an option. I won't move until you get on. So you either suck it up, or you get the both of us caught." Soul didn't see the expression on her face, but he could guess her expression.

Soul didn't feel or hear anything for a minute, but then the witch sighed and wrapped her arms around Souls neck and put her legs on either side of his hips.

When he stood, Soul was surprised at how light she was. _Lighter than I thought she would be. I know food is scarce for criminals, but she still shouldn't be thins light._ Soul thought as he moved quickly across the rocks to catch up with the rest of the group.

\---

It was just after dawn when the rocky forest sloped up the side of a mountain.

"You guys wait here, I'll go check to see if there's a cave or something up there." Patty said. She let her pack and Soul's drop to the ground before starting up the hill at a light jog.

Tsubaki pulled jerky out of her bag and passed it around to everyone. She could see how they were all running on empty, and Maka looked like a ghost still on Soul's back.

No one spoke as they waited. Maka had fallen asleep on Soul's back a while ago, but everyone else was mentally, emotionally and physically preparing to continue walking.

They were all so tired.

"Guys, there's a huge cave up about half way! Come on!" Tsubaki smiled. Black Star was the same as he had been when they were kids. Even dead tired he was able to bounce with excitement.

They slowly followed the berserker up the side of the mountian and into the cave that he had found.

Once Soul stepped in, he began to laugh.

"What wrong with you?" Black Star asked.

"I used to use this cave. As a supply stash and safe haven and things like that. There should be a cot all the way in the back, in a crevasse on the right." Liz went to where Soul said and pulled a worn looking cot from its hiding place. "Lay it out in the back, it's warmer back there." The minstrel did as he said. Soul walked over and, with Maka still on his back, sat on the edge of the cot. He untangled her and gently laid her down.

"I'll take first watch. Everyone else get some rest." Soul instructed, pulling another flower from the bag.

There was no argument from anyone. Black Star was already snoring and Liz wasn't far behind. Patty and Tsubaki were just finishing laying out their blankets.

Soul smiled and left the cave. He wandered up the side of the mountain a little more for a better vantage point. Grateful for the rocky landscape and thin tree cover on this side of the mountian.

He found a spot that was hidden from any birds-eye spells and invisible from the ground and watched the sunrise.

It was just past midday when Patty found him. She was yawning as she approached. "My turn."

"Are you sure? You still look tired."

"Yeah, and? You look worse than me. Besides, Black Star snores so loud! Now, beat it. So sleep."

"Yes ma'am." Soul saluted, traded spots with the rouge and made his way back to the cave.

As he was walking through the mouth of the cave Soul was once again amazed at how he stumbled on it the first time. The mouth itself was narrow, hardly wide enough for two to walk shoulder to shoulder. And it wasn't facing out, it was almost like a hallway. Though, because of this, it is nearly impossible to find unless you know know it's there. That also means any birds-eye spells would only see it as a rock formation that basically folded in on itself.

A wave of panic washed over Soul with remembering how he had found the cavern in the first place. He ran in and found the open cubby hole in the wall. Everyone was still sound asleep but that didn't mean any of them could wake up at any time. Moving quickly, Soul found everything he was looking for and shoved it to the bottom of his backpack. Glancing around, Soul let out a breath of relief to see everyone still sleeping.

Soul found a spot near Maka's cot and was asleep as soon as he was laying down.

He woke up not long after to an uncomfortable sound that was somewhere between a cough, wheeze and groan. When Soul looked around, he felt his stomach twist at the sight of Maka curled and clutching her stomach.

Soul got up and grabbed his water and went over. "Here, drink this."

With Soul's help, Maka was able to sit upright enough to drink.

"You're gonna feel like this for a while, but as long as you don't push yourself and drink plenty of water, you should be fine." Soul explained as Maka drank.

"Why am I feeling like this?"

"Eating those flowers like they're food disagrees with everyone's system. And I'm sure that the fact you kept using magic you didn't have didn't help."

"Well why didn't you say not to eat them like that?" Maka tried yelling but was too tired to sound threatening, barely managing annoyed.

"Would you have listened?"

She didn't respond at first. "No."

"But will you listen when I tell you not to do anything so you can recover properly?"

". . .Fine."

"Good. Now try and get some more sleep." Maka did without arguing.

"That was impressive."

Soul flinched at the sudden voice. He turned to see Liz watching with a smirk. "What do you mean?"

"Whenever any of us tried to tell her to stop over using and to get some sleep, she'd be petty and put small hex's on us for a day or two." Liz registered Soul's shocked expression and laughed. "Nothing serious, just insanely annoying. Like trying to walk to the left and we'll turn right. Or we can only see the color red. Small, harmless things like that."

"Yeah, well, she probably just realized that she couldn't argue."

"No. That's not it." Liz looked at the ceiling of the cave and thought for a minute about how to say what she needed without betraying Maka. "She thinks of you as part of the family."

Soul didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't. "I- I'm gonna take over watch from Patty." Even to his own ears Soul sounded rattled. He couldn't bring himself to register Liz's amused breath.

Soul walked outside and felt like he could breathe again. By the time he reached Patty, he almost felt normal. Almost.

"Dude, you good? You see a ghost or something?"

"Uh. . .something like that. Head back inside."

"Whatever man. If you want to give up on more sleep, that's your problem." Patty walked back down and was out of sight shortly.

Soul couldn't figure out why Liz's words rattled him so much. He was honored, sure, but there was something else that he couldn't <strike>(or didn't want to)</strike> admit.

\---

He had to hand it to their witch, she was gifted and powerful. It was nearly impossible for him to track them and stay far enough away so that no one would be able to tell they had a tail. If it weren't for his borrowed cloaking spell, he would've been discovered long ago.

He followed them across the border into the neighboring kingdom. He could tell that the witch had stopped with her misdirection cloak hybrid spell. They somehow had enough energy to climb a mountian for shelter. Not that he could blame them, but he still figured that they would all camp at the base and make their way up when they all had a little more energy.

They had stayed in there all day, the sun was setting and the temperatures were dropping. None of them had come back down. The knight set up his own camp and prepared for a long night. He didn't expect any of them to show themselves for a while. Not until they were all well enough to travel, and if it came to it, fight again.

All the time he spent following them from the shadows, he couldn't figure out they could still act so lightly and joke around. Didn't they know that all except the princess were going to die if caught standing between the kingdoms guards and the runaway princess? He didn't understand it. But he needed to. He didn't know what was making him as curious as he was, but he just felt like he needed to know.

\---

Soul could feel it. The hair on the back of his neck standing on end, every sound around him threatening the approach of someone. He was being watched.

The stars had come out over an hour ago, and the moon was barely a sliver on the horizon.

"You look tense. You good man?" Black Star came up silently.

"We were followed."

"You sure?"

Soul listened to the breeze blowing up from the forest below them. "Yes."

"Be back in a jiff then. Wake up the girls. Don't wanna scare them."

Soul nodded and went back to the cave.

Black Star made his way down the far side of the mountian. As he reached the tree line, he began climbing and making his way back to the direction they had come from.

Moving silently from tree to tree he spotted him hidden in the underbrush.

Without a sound, he dropped down behind the stranger. "Looking for us?"

The knight turned around, surprised. He opened his mouth to speak but was knocked out before he could make a sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda lost motivation for this chapter, if you couldn't tell. And I also just needed to get that over with. So I'm sorry.
> 
> Come scream at me or with me on [Tumblr.](https://growingivyinmymind.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ✨Drama✨

"Well, we knew that this would happen but-" Tsubaki said, already moving to pack her things.

"No, something about this is off. He was all alone. Which means he was probably doing recon and didn't have time to go report back." Patty argued, trying to calm the guilt that was no doubt was eating at the princess.

Black Star made his way into their hideout with an unconscious knight draped over his back.

Maka was awake but sitting on the cot, watching everything unfold in silence. There was a strange ringing in her ears but she didn't need to worry anyone about that when there was a threat sitting no more then ten feet from her. Liz was busying her hands by making a fire for light in the dim cave. Patty was sitting on her sleeping mat, once again looking like she was planning a murder.

"This is a bad idea." Patty had said as soon as she let Soul speak after being woken up.

Tsibaki was sitting beside Maka on the cot, both leaning on each other. Neither of them were completely awake. Ever since joining the girls, Tsubaki had gotten used to much less sleep than she was used to, but she still wasn't able to stay up for days at a time like the others were.

"Well, it was either bring him in and interrogate, or wait for him to go and get reinforcements." Soul explained, even though he didn't need to, and Black Star nodded in agreement.

A small splash of water woke the knight. "What? Where am I? What do you want with me?"

Tsubaki didn't know why, but there was something familiar about the knight. She was sure she had seen him around, but not at the palace.

"Nope. Your job is to answer _our _questions, not ask your own." Patty's voice was calm and cold. It sent a shiver down Tsubaki's spine. "Who are you?"

"Death the Kid, son of Lord Death."

"The warlord Lord Death?" The knight nodded as answer to Soul's clarification question.

"Do you have reinforcements on their way?" Patty asked in the same tone as before.

"No. And I haven't sent my soldiers any orders, so they're still at our camp near where we fought, resting and recuperating." He explained, hoping to show that he wasn't there to fight or take the princess. He knew that if he flat out said it, they wouldn't believe him.

"If your reinforcements don't know where you are, why were you still following us?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." The knight suddenly found the floor next to his feet very interesting.

"Try us."

He tensed at the demand, obviously not planning on them being that curious to know. "After fighting with you, I followed you back to your camp and you all were laughing like nothing was wrong, like you weren't in danger and I couldn't understand. Didn't you guys realize that me and my men could take back Princess Tsubaki and kill the rest of you? I needed to know how you all could just ignore the danger you were in."

"We don't ignore the fact that we're always in danger, we focus on the things we _do _have control over, like seeing the bright side of things." Maka spoke for the first time since waking up. She was still leaning heavily on Tsubaki.

"And you're right, we don't believe you." Patty spat at the knight.

Tsubaki remained silent, watching her friends interrogate the knight. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about him told her that if they wanted to stay together and safe, they would need him.

"Like I said."

No one spoke, all thinking about what to do next. Tsubaki took the opportunity to ask her own question. "What do you know about the sunsword?"

Everyone looked at her surprised, except the knight. He was surprised, yes, but more obvious than that was his curiosity.

"I know that it is the reason everyone wants you back to badly. And I know that it has great power. Legends say that it has never failed to protect the wielder. It is also rumored to be stored in a cavern full of gold and other riches. Hard to get to, even harder to find. Your brother was the one who was supposed to have the map in his head, but for some reason, it skipped him and you got it instead."

"Do you know how to get it out of my head, or a way for me to see it?" Tsubaki felt weird wording that, but it was the only way that made the most sense.

"I don't know, sorry. But maybe your witch knows a few spells that might reveal it?" The princess and the knight both turned to the other sitting on the cot.

Maka was only loosely following the conversation, still beyond exhausted. At the sudden attention, she sat a little straighter. "What?"

"Do you know any spells that would help the princess find where the sunsword is?" The knight repeated, a look of concern passing over his face at the witches absent minded state.

"I don't know, maybe? But even if I didn't, I still can't use my magic." Tsubaki saw Maka's quick glance at Soul. "But I guess I can try to remember. If not, I can always try and make one."

Tsubaki looked at the others, who had gone quiet. "What are you guys thinking?"

"I'm just trying to figure out why you're suddenly so interested in the sunsword." Patty said, sounding defeated. The others nodded in agreement.

"Think about it. The sunsword is said to protect the wielder from harm. If we have it, we won't have as many close calls as we did yesterday. We'd be safer, we probably wouldn't need to be on the move so much!" Tsubaki explained. Her point made sense to everyone present, but some didn't want to admit it. "And if it is just a bunch of rumors that it can protect us, then we'll at least have a bargaining chip."

Tsubaki could see everyone planning out what they should do. She was making too much sense to ignore, but that didn't mean they all had to like it.

"Okay, we'll go find it once I can use my magic again. But, until then, what are we going to do with him?" Maka said, nodding to the knight who was still sitting on the floor with his hands tied behind his back.

He looked up and held Maka's gaze fearlessly.

"I think we should knock him out and drop him off somewhere far away." Patty supplied.

"I agree. It's way too risky to have him here with us." Liz spoke for the first time since entering the cave early that morning.

"I think he should stay with us." Maka stated, her tone suggesting that her mind was made up.

"Maka! You can't be serious!" Soul had seemed neutral to all that was going on, still feeling like he didn't get a say in the goings on of the group, but Maka's decision rubbed him the wrong way.

"I am." She looked away from Death the Kid and looked everyone in the eye, letting them see that she meant what she said and that she wasn't going to change her mind. "Something tells me that he might know a thing or two about spells that could help get that map out of Tsubaki's head. And the entire time we were making our way here, he had a strong protection spell over him, I had no idea he was there. Part of that is on me, I'll admit. But still, he could have left a trail, or sent word back to his men, but he didn't. I believe he's telling the truth. I don't know if we can trust him yet, but I do know that I will need his help if we are going to get that sword."

"I agree with Maka." Tsubaki said and Black Star nodded his agreement.

"No! We can't trust him!"

"I know we can't. That's why I think for now, we strip him of his armor and weapons and until we make our next move, we can treat him as a prisoner. One person outside keeping watch and one in here, keeping an eye on him. If he does anything that puts us in danger in any way, then we can knock him out and drop him off and move, but until then, he stays here. Does that sound good to everyone?" Maka explained.

The three who were opposed to this were deep in thought, trying to find a flaw in the witches plan. Nobody could, so, reluctantly, everyone agreed.

After removing all his weapons and armor, Patty stormed out of the cave, grumbling something about it being her turn to be on look out.

Tsubaki made to follow but a hand on her arm stopped her. "Let her cool off. She doesn't do that well with change." Liz looked to where her sister disappeared to. "She'll bet calmer in the morning, you can talk to her then. But for now, just get some sleep. Black Star said he'd take the first shift of guard duty."

A sigh made its way out of the princesses mouth, she nodded and moved to her bed.

\---

Three weeks later, everyone decided that it would be safe to remove the knights restraints. Maka was almost back to full strength and still not allowed to use her magic. It was obvious to everyone that she was getting restless.

It was three weeks later and Tsubaki still hadn't been able to talk to Patty. The day she stormed out of the cave, once her watch was over she went out on her own to look for food, and by the time she came back Tsubaki was asleep.

It seemed to Tsubaki that Patty was doing anything she could to avoid the princess.

"Liz, I need your help." Tsubaki asked after watching Patty practically run out of the cave the minute she woke up.

"Yeah, I didn't think it was possible for her to have this much restraint."

"What?"

"Patty is just being stubborn. When she comes back, I'll corner her, you just have to be elsewhere or she'll know what's happening. Plus I have something I need to say to her too." Liz didn't look up from her notebook as she explained.

"Okay?" Tsubaki walked to the back of the cave where there was a small chamber off to the side that they had found over a week ago.

It was almost an hour later when Patty came back. Liz was still sitting on her bedding looking at her notebook. "She's getting worried, you know."

Liz's voice made the rouge freeze in her tracks.

"She knows you're avoiding her and she's starting to think that you're never gonna talk to her again." _A slight exaggeration, but oh well, it got her attention._

"I. . .I. . .I know but. . ."

"Patty." Liz waited until her sister looked her in the eyes before continuing. "It's not my place to tell you this, but I can't think of anything else that'll break through your stubbornness to make you do something about it. She likes you. As much, if not more, than you like her. Everyone is banging their heads against the wall it's so obvious and you two are oblivious. It's driving everyone crazy to see you avoiding her and her moping around while you're running away from her." Liz watched as her blunt words sunk in and a look of guilt and realization made its way onto Patty's face. "Now, I don't care what you say to her, but please, _please_, for the sake of everyone here, please talk to her. She's in the side chamber worrying about what she's going to say to you for you to forgive her."

Patty stood still as a statue as Liz stood and left, leaving Patty alone.

Then, like pushed by someone, Patty started moving. First she went to her bag. A few days prior, Patty had found a heart shaped rock. When she first saw it sitting in the dirt, she laughed at how corny it was, but the longer she stared at it the more she thought that it would be a nice way to help explain how she felt. Patty grabbed the stone from it's pocket and then moved to the entrance of the cave. She paused, only doubting herself for one more second before taking a deep breath and going in.

Tsubaki was pacing against the far wall. The second Patty saw her, she forgot why she was angry and avoiding the princess in the first place.

"Hey." Patty said, watching as the sound of her voice made Tsubaki freeze mid step.

Slowly, the princess turned to face Patty, but she wouldn't meet her eye. "Hi." Her voice was small and her fingers were twisting around a lock of hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it." Patty took a deep breath and dove head first. "I'm sorry for how I reacted when you asked Soul to stay. I'm sorry for getting jealous of how you trusted Black Star because you knew him before everything. I'm sorry for getting angry at you for suggesting that Kid should stay with us. I'm sorry for storming out and avoiding you the last few weeks. I'm sorry that I took it all out on you. And most of all, I'm sorry that my actions made you feel like you were the one who did something wrong."

"I. . .I. . .Wh-what do. . ." Tsubaki took a breath and then another. "It's not your fault. I know that I'm not the easiest to live with. I'm not saying it like I don't belong here, because I do. I love it here with everyone. I'm sorry that I make decisions and expect everyone to agree with me. I know that when when I kept saying that the guys should stay with us I didn't give anyone time to think about it and there wasn't much time to discuss it."

"No! You made the right call, in each situation. Without Soul Eater and Black Star, you'd've been taken back to your brother by Death the Kid. I don't believe in fate, but I do think that everything happens for a reason. I'm sorry that you think that. I don't what you to feel like that. I want you to feel like you have a say in everything that happens. And, yeah, sometimes, depending of what's happening, we get to make a call that no one can argue with. And in each of those situations, you made that call. And your decisions saved all of our lives." Tsubaki finally looked Patty in the eyes. "I also want to apologize for not saying this sooner, but I like you. Like, really like you. If you don't feel that same way that's fine, I just needed to say while I'm still running on adrenaline." A small laugh made its way out of both of them.

Tsubaki was smiling. Patty was breathless and weak for that smile. The smile that said _me too_. The smile that shone, even with the tears rolling down the princess's face.

Patty walked forward and brushed away the tears before holding Tsubaki's face.

"I really like you too." The princess said as Patty wiped away another tear.

Tsubaki leaned forward and they kissed. It wasn't particularly special, just a simple peck on the lips, but it was still an amazing feeling.

Patty took a step back and reached into her pocket and pulled out the pebble. "This is for you."

Tsubaki took it and after flipping it over a few times, she laughed. "This seems like it would be too cheesy a gift for you."

"If you tell anyone, I can not be held responsible for what may or may not happen to them. I do have a reputation to uphold."

The princess let out a snorting laugh. "Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 down, 2 to go.
> 
> Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter done, writer's block is a bitch and the holidays suck and my family needs to leave me alone. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out sooner, but no promises.
> 
> Come scream at me or with me on [Tumblr.](https://growingivyinmymind.tumblr.com/)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the run. . .again.

Death the Kid had been working with the fugitives witch, Maka, to create a spell that would make the map to the Sunsword clear, at least to Princess Tsubaki, when he felt it.

The two of them were sitting on Maka's cot spitballing ingredients that had relieving properties when he felt the beginning feathery touch of a linking spell. Kid knew the witch that was casting it and he knew the way she was doing it. The snake woman had a tendency to use the most invasive spells she could to get her way.

As soon as he felt it, Kid held his breath, squeezed his eye shut and covered his ear with his hands. He could feel Maka reaching towards him, concerned, but he shook his head and leaned away from her hand.

Only when he was _sure _the witch had finished her spell and wasn't starting a new one did he breath out and open his eyes. Maka had called for Soul, and Black Star wasn't standing far off either, all looking various levels of worried and suspicious.

"_Shit_." Kid breathed. "We need to go. Now."

"Not until you explain what the hell that just was!" Soul eater demanded.

"The witch that the Prince has employed tried using one of her locator spells, trying to figure out where we are. One of my soldiers probably assumes that I was taken prisoner by you and I need help."

"Which, partially is true." Mused Black Star.

"That witch uses dirty magic, likes to get inside of people, le-"

"Get inside how?" Maka asked, already starting to pack up.

"Any way she possibly can, mentally, emotionally, physically. She has no sense of boundaries." Kid shuddered at the stories he had heard of the snake woman, and all the things she was capable of. "That spell she was using just now, uses my senses to take in my surroundings to figure out where I am, who I'm with, what I'm doing. Not plseant on my end if she succeeded, but I still don't know what she learned, so it'd be safest if we head out."

Black Star called to the others, who were outside gathering provisions and keeping watch.

Soon everyone was pack and, after deciding to leave under the cover of night, most everyone was napping.

Maka was still awake, sitting on her cot. She was still trying to come up with the best way to get to that map.

"Mind if I keep helping?" The knight was standing not to far away, looking tired.

"You sure you don't want to get some sleep before we head out? We don't know the next time we'll be able to rest this peacefully."

"I'm sure. Besides, I feel partially responsible for this."

"Don't sweat it." Maka shifted to the side to make room for the knight.

The two of them took turns suggesting ingredients and spell parts that might fit together well enough to work.

The sun was slow in setting it felt like that day. They still had a few hours until the sun was below the horizon.

Maka and Kid were taking a break, sitting in a comfortable silence, when the knight asked, "What's everyone's story? I know the Princess's, she ran away because she didn't fit in with her family's plan for her, but what about everyone else?"

"We're all runaways, in a way. I ran away from my dad, trying to find my mom. I met Liz and Patty when we pick each others pockets. It was actually pretty funny. They wanted something new to do. Still not sure about Soul Eater."

"And. . .what about Black Star?" Maka could see how hard it was for him actually say the words.

"Well, you probably know more about him than I do. He knew Tsubaki while she was still in the castle and wants to protect a friend. Like the rest of us." Maka paused. "Though, some more friendly than others, if you know what I mean."

"I. . .I think I do." Out of the corner of her eye Maka saw the small blush that appeared on his face.

Maka watched as the last light left the cave. "We should wake everyone up now. Try and make it down the mountain before we're in total darkness."

The two shouldered their packs and went around shaking everyone awake.

They were down the mountain and on their way south not long after.

Half way through the night Soul asked, "where are we headed?"

"There's a herb that grows far south that might help us get the map out of Tsubaki's head." Maka explained.

"Cool."

After that, everyone was silent as they walked. Occasionally, Maka and Death the Kid would work on the map problem, but that was it.

* * *

Days, and more than a few close calls later, Maka was wading through a murky swamp to get the herbs she needed.

"How does she know what she's looking for?" Soul asked, the things he grabbed from the cave burning a whole in the bottom of his bag.

"My guess is that she came here with her mom." Liz said, massaging her calves from her seat on the twisted roots of a tree.

Soul thought that would be the answer, but he hoped that there was a chance that that wasn't the case. It made those items weigh a ton. Or maybe it was the guilt that was settling in the pit of his stomach.

The five of them watched from the bank as Maka collected what she would need. When she came back she was covered in mud, but she looked happy to be doing something other than walking.

Everyone could also tell that she was eager to use her magic again. When they left the cave, Soul gave the okay to use magic even though she still wasn't at full strength but she said she'd wait until it was all back. She even managed to not use when they were almost caught those few times.

Soul wouldn't admit it out loud, or even to himself, but he was proud of her.

"So, now what do we need for the spell?" Patty asked.

"Dry ground somewhere around here." Maka said, wiping off as much mud as she could.

"Like that's gonna happen." Black Star muttered as he set off with Tsubaki and Patty to look.

"Anything we can help with?" Liz asked, nodding to Kid.

"If you want, you can help them look. I have everything I need and we're gonna have to borrow some paper, so all that's left is a dry place to set up camp."

"You heard her, Kid. Let's get looking." Liz stood and dragged Kid with her in the opposite direction the others went.

Soul watched as they disappeared. When he knew that everyone was far out of earshot, he took a deep breath and turned to the witch. "Maka?"

"What's up Soul?"

"I need to tell you something. . .but you're not going to like it." Maka stopped running her fingers through her hair to look at Soul, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. "You have every right to scream, or hit me, or tell me to leave and I will, just let me say now that I'm sorry and I didn't plan to keep it from you for so long." Soul took a deep breath and reached into his bag. He pulled out the notebook and bag and handed them to her without a word.

Maka was silent as she looked through the bag first. It was mostly just small knickknacks and trinkets, but there were a few things with meaning that Soul didn't get. Next she opened the book and read the first page.

The silence was defining to Soul Eater. He watched Maka's hands. They moved delicately over the old binding and gently leafed through the first few pages.

"This was my moms. Where did you get it?" Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke.

"She gave it to me." It's not that Soul wanted to keep anything from her, it's just that he was terrified of what her reaction might be.

"When?"

"Two years ago."

"That was. . ."

"That was right before she disappeared, I know. I'm sorry." Soul only meant to glance up for a second, to see the expression on Maka's face, but he met her eyes and couldn't look away.

"You had no right to keep this from me." Before, her voice was shocked and distant, but in an instant, it was colored with a cold rage.

"I'm sorry. I kept it in the cave, and that's where it was when I met you. And once we got there, I didn't want to give it to you in front of the others and it wasn't the right time and I wanted to wait until you could use magic again and I was scared of what you would do once you found out." Soul took a deep breath and looked at the mud between the toes of his boots. "Whatever you want me to do, or what you want to do to me, you can, I'll do whatever you want. Just know that she didn't want me to look for you to give it to you. She was very specific about that."

She didn't say or do anything at first, and Soul Eater couldn't handle the quiet. Maka could probably hear how fast his heart was beating.

"I'll. . .I'll get going then." Soul said when he thought the silence meant he wasn't welcome anymore.

"Wait!" Maka said when Soul had turned and started walking. "Is there anything else? Anything else she gave you or said to you before she left?"

"All she said was not to look for you and to let you decide. I tried asking her what she meant about that but she wouldn't tell me. I guess this is what she meant." Soul didn't turn back to face Maka, refusing to let her see that he was anxious about what she might choose.

It took a few more minutes before Soul got an answer. "I don't want you to leave, but you will need to earn back my trust."

"Fair enough. And are you going to tell the others about this?"

"No."

"And you want me to. . ."

"And I don't want you to tell them either." Maka ordered.

"Okay." Soul turned back to the witch and watched as she handled the bag of trinkets and the journal like they were made of glass.

The first group returned not long after, and Kid and Liz were back minutes later.

"Good news, we found a place." Liz started with her upbeat sarcasm.

"Bad news, it's halfway up that mountain, which is much steeper than it looks." Kid said in his usual factual monotone.

Patty groaned, making most everyone laugh. Liz saw how Maka was equal parts sad and furious, while Soul looked ready for the mud to swallow him.

Everyone followed Kid as he lead the way to the base of the mountain, Liz, however, hug back And grabbed Maka's arm as she passed.

"What?" Maka snapped at her.

"What's wrong?" Liz tightened her grip on the witch's arm when she tried to shake loose.

"What makes you think there's anything wrong?" She practically growled.

"The fact that I've only ever seen you this snippy when you can't use magic without killing yourself. And seeing as how you're nearly back to full power, I can only assume that the conversation you just had with Soul wasn't a very good one." Maka had to look away from Liz's fierce glare. "Come on, if you are going to force the rest of us to dance around the two of you, _I_ gotta at least know why."

"It's none of your business." Maka's statement was almost in the form of a question.

"It is if you two are going to be ignoring each other the entire time, thus forcing us to suffer through your guys's unresolved tension, sexual or otherwise."

Liz could almost feel Maka's shock from the power of her gasp. "I - I'm - I'm not - we're not - No!"

"Please, Maka. If you want to lie to yourself and everyone else, fine. But don't lie to me about this. You like him. And you should know that he likes you too. So whatever he said or did, don't hold this grudge for too long, okay?" Liz sighed and let go of Maka. "Please spare everyone, at least this once. Come on, we'd better catch up."

Maka was stunned. She didn't move an inch until Liz turned around and grabbed her arm once again, pulling her behind her.

It didn't take long to catch up with everyone, they were moving slowly through the mud.

Kid lead the way to the small plateau that was on the side of the mountain.

"This place is perfect, guys!" Maka exclaimed when they finally reached it. The ground was dry and level, perfect for the spell and an easy place to set up camp. All Maka felt was missing was something protecting them from any kind of spying spells. "Everyone stick close to me for a minute." Everyone did as she said and the witch cast a self sustaining camouflage. Until Maka took it down, it would use its own power to create more power, so once it was cast, Maka was completely detached from the spell. "Once we step out of this circle, that person is no longer protected by the camo spell, so try and stay here for the time being."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that! I'm still alive! Sorry it's been so long, school started back up, writers block is a thing that sucks and time exists at the same time there's not enough. . .Excuses, excuses, excuses. I'm sorry.
> 
> So that happened and I don't know what it was. Stay tuned.
> 
> Come scream at me or with me on [Tumblr.](https://growingivyinmymind.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Invasive surgery.

It was a week after they had found the mini plateau when Maka finally buffed out the spell to extract the map in Tsubaki's head.

"When are we going to do this?" Patty asked, her anxiety evident.

"Tomorrow night is the new moon, it'll help with accuracy. And I'm going to need it to be only me and Tsubaki. You all are going to have to go find something to do down in the swamp."

"Oh, fun!" Liz remarked sarcastically as she tuned her lute. "While you two are doing invasive surgery, we get to go swimming in mud."

Maka knew that Liz was only snippy because of the setting of their camp. She wasn't fond of the darkness and humidity, and she wasn't the only one. The swamp was getting to everyone.

"Once we know where to go, we'll leave. I promise."

This was a promise that had been made many times in the week in the swamp, and every time it was said, it sounded less like a promise and more like a wish.

The day had passed as uneventfully as all the ones before; Liz and Black Star tried to keep everyone's spirits up, Patty and Tsubaki stayed close to each other, Kid was either keeping out of the way or helping Maka with the spell.

Soul Eater stayed as far away from everyone as he could. He knew that it was only a matter of time before this quest was over, and he wouldn't want it any other way, but he could help but wonder what was going to happen once they found the Sunsword. A small part of him hopped that they would all stay together, but he knew how unlikely that was. Soul was a realist, and a crushed crush wasn't going to change that, no matter how much he wanted it to.

Maka stayed acutely aware of where Soul was the whole time. She wanted so badly to be mad at him, but she knew how her mother had a tendency to encourage secrets, and from what she knew of Soul, she knew that he was only doing as he was told. She couldn't blame him no matter how much she wanted to.

"Alright, everyone, go swimming in mud." Maka repeated Liz's jab from earlier. "It's time to do this."

Everyone tensed and didn't move at first. Black Star was the first to move down the mountain, followed quickly by Death the Kid, Liz went next and Soul and Patty left last.

Once everyone was gone, Maka turned to Tsubaki. "You ready to do this?"

"It's not going to hurt, is it?"

"I won't lie to you, it might. But I put some feverfew in it, so it should dull any discomfort, but I have no idea to what extent. You still want to do this?"

There was no hesitation in her answer, "yes."

"Alright. I need you to hold onto this paper and empty your mind of everything. Just leave the rest to me." Maka ordered as she handed the princess a blank parchment.

Maka began the spell.

The others were walking slowly down the side of the mountain. None of them wanted to go near the water, it gave them all bad vibes, but they'd all rather be near the water under the tree cover than exposed on the mountain side.

Somehow, Liz wound up walking next to Soul Eater at the back. "She doesn't hate you, you know."

"Seems like she does."

"She doesn't though. Yes, she's hurt that you kept things from her, but she doesn't blame or hate you for it."

Soul stopped abruptly and grabbed Liz's arm, pulling her to a stop as well. "How could you know that? And while we're talking about it, how do you even know what's going on?"

"I know because you've been walking around like someone has been kicking your puppy. And I know that Maka doesn't hate you because I know Maka. She hates that I am so good at reading her. I can read everyone she just hate's it when I do it to her. If she's mad at anyone, she's mad at her mom." Liz took a breath to let her words sink in, starting to walk again. "Now, stop worrying about what she thinks. She'll get over it sooner or later and-"

"Is it gonna be sooner, or later? Because, I'm not gonna stick around if I don't feel welcome." Liz froze mid step at Souls words. "And I'm not feeling very welcome right now."

"Wait. Backtrack. You're gonna leave us?"

"I'll stick around and help get the Sunsword, but if I'm still getting the cold shoulder, I'll split."

"No! No, you can't."

"Why not?" Soul spat.

"Because, this last week withstanding, she's been better with you around. She listens to you for some reason, and you have no idea how self destructing she can be. Let her be mad at you, but not from a distance, okay?"

"Whatever." Soul marched ahead and pushed passed everyone else to try and find a quiet place to think.

"What's his problem?" Black Star asked when Soul shouldered him on his way down.

"Beats me. But have you noticed how tense things have been between him and Maka?"

"Dude! I thought I was imaging it! I wondered what happened."

"Me too. But I'd rather not pry." Death the Kid said sagely, veering away from the sisters.

"Eh, fine, I won't either. Do you know how long it should take?"

"It shouldn't take that long. Unless something happens, it should be over soon."

"What do you mean if something happens?" Worry laced Black Star's voice.

"Oh, no, not like that. If Tsubaki can't focus on the map, or Maka doesn't have enough of something. Things like that, nothing that'll put the princess in danger." Kid quickly explained, in an attempt to dissuade the berserkers fear.

"Okay, well, what should we do while we wait?"

"We could gather fire wood and supplies."

"Yeah, sure." Despite Kid's best efforts, Black Star was still worried for his childhood friend.

\---

Tsubaki woke up in a strange place. The ground was covered in the blue lichen that Soul tried to use to keep Maka asleep and there were strange, wiry black trees all around. The sky was a brilliant red with the setting sun and a breeze that smelled like the sea was blowing over the field.

"Where am I? Maka! Maka, what happened? Where are you?" Tsubaki shouted.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. It's okay, I'm still right next to you." Maka's voice came from right next to her, but there was no one there. "Now, I need you to focus on where you are. You don't need to say anything, you just need to focus on everything around you, okay?"

Tsubaki nodded and tried to focus on the landmarks and everything that she could.

"Good. It's working, Tsubaki! We're almost done. Try turning around, slowly, in a circle. It'll help us get a cleaner picture."

The princess tried to turn but it was like her feet were glued to the ground. "I can't move. Maka, I can't move, I can't move."

"Shh, calm down, it's okay. Try twisting your hips and looking over your shoulders." Tsubaki did as the witch suggested, but she couldn't focus on the things that were behind her.

"It's all blurry. I can't see anything clearly."

"That's fine. We got a clear enough picture. Now, I need you to imagine your soul gently floating back into your body, and your body slowly waking up, okay?"

Tsubaki did just that and woke up where she and Maka were doing the spell.

"Welcome back." Maka smirked as she helped Tsubaki sit up.

"Did it work, did we get it?"

"Yes we did. I'm gonna call everyone back. Then we'll all get some sleep and head out in the morning. Sound good?"

Tsubaki nodded and laid back down and went to sleep. Maka had told her that once the spell was complete she'd feel exhausted.

The rest of the group was back a few minutes after Maka sent them the signal that it was okay for them to come back.

"We'll head out at first light, but for now, let's just get some rest." Maka instructed, getting comfortable on her blankets.

"I'll keep first watch." Black Star volunteered.

Everyone was out minutes later and Black Star was alone with the fact that he had a crush on Death the Kid. _But I'm here for Tsubaki, to help her and protect her. Nothing else!_ The berserker thought to himself as he made himself comfortable on a boulder.

Soul Eater woke up two hours later and insisted on taking over, letting Black Star get some rest before they set out in the morning.

It was a still night. The air was humid, but in the early early morning hours, it was bearable. The stars were shining brightly alone in the night sky. Occasionally, Soul would hear the croaking of a frog, or the splash of it jumping into the mud, but the night was silent aside from that.

"How long have you been up?" Maka's voice was so sudden in the silence that the bounty hunter instinctively reached for one of his knives. "Sorry."

"I haven't been up long." The silence that followed was tense, both unsure of where they stood. "Don't you want to get a little more sleep before we head out?"

"Can't sleep. Something about this place bugs me." Maka said, sitting next to Soul on the boulder.

"Yeah, I think we've all been feeling that way. Good thing we'll be leaving once everyone is up."

Maka only hummed as a response.

The two sat and listened to the pre dawn sounds the swamp made. Soon, the sun was lightening the sky, turning the clouds pink and casting shadows over the earth.

"Come on, let's wake everyone up. I have a feeling we have a long way to go."

The sun was just peaking over the horizon when everyone's bag were packed and they were on the move.

They made their way out of the swamp by the time the sun was fully above the tree line. But before they could much farther than that, they had to try and figure where they were heading. Despite the rumor of it being hidden in the kingdom of Tsubaki's ex, they did not want to walk straight into the lions den without knowing for sure.

Maka pulled the map out of where she had stuffed it in her bag.

"Oh, I know where that is." Soul announced as he looked over Maka's shoulder.

"What!" Everyone shouted, turning to Soul Eater.

"Yeah." Soul reached up to fix his bandana, a nervous tick as everyone was learning. "It's. . .it's on the boarder of both kingdoms."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's been a while since I posted the last chapter, and if that's true, I'm sorry. I don't mean to take so long, life just gets in the way. Well here it is, I hope you like it and I'll try to get the next one out sooner. We're almost done guys! I'm equal parts excited and sad. Until next time.
> 
> Come scream at me or with me on [Tumblr.](https://growingivyinmymind.tumblr.com/)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Battles, anxiety, heart break, make ups and hidden doors.

"It's on the boarder of both kingdoms." Soul's voice was full of dismay.

"Any chance you mean the kingdom we're currently in and the one next door?" Liz asked equally sarcastic and hopeful.

"No. The kingdoms we're trying to stay away from."

"Right, that's what I thought. Just wanted to make sure." Liz turned and walked a few paces away. She watched as everyone turned to one another; Kid to Black Star, Tsubaki to Patty, and Soul to Maka. It almost was enough to make her laugh. Almost. There was still the very real and ominous fact that they had to practically give themselves up in order to try and get the Sunsword. "Kid, how should we do this? You know how the knights operate better than any of us."

"Well," the knight started reluctantly, turning back to the whole group. "I'm not entirely sure how both kingdoms work, my troupe just comes in when someone needs some extra swords. And I didn't spend that much time with the other generals, I was to follow your brother," he pointed to Tsubaki. "Until he ordered us to follow his witch's directions to you all. But when I was in their camp, they had regular patrols around the perimeter and kind of like we do, some would be awake while the rest would sleep. Very small chance of sneaking in without being seen, nearly impossible. And in the camp, they were using that snake witch to make sure no cloaking spells would go undetected, so it's safe to assume that the same would go for both territories."

"Great! Any more good news?" Patty said.

Everyone was quiet.

"Well at least there's that."

Everyone was thinking of what they'd need to do.

"Maka?" Tsubaki started slowly.

"Yeah?"

"How close can two spells get to each other? When they're the same two spells and cast by two different people."

Liz watched as the expression on Maka's face changed into her _deep thinking_ face. It had been a while since Liz had seen it so intense. "Tsubaki might be on to something. Maka? What are you thinking?"

"They can't touch! They can't touch! Tsubaki! You're a genius! When two witches are doing the same or similar spells, the two spells can't touch each other. The bigger the spell the more space between them. When a witch fights a witch, and people see their spells flying at each other then explode," Maka was breathless with her excitement. She bent down to pick up two pebbles for a visual example. "That explosion that people see, it's not the spells meeting. They were being pushed together so hard that they can't go anywhere anymore, so they combust." She held one stone in each hand, slowly moving them together. The closer they got, the more Maka made her hands shake, like it was getting harder to keep them moving towards each other. Once they were close enough, Maka gently tossed the rocks into the air and let them fall.

"Okay? What does that mean for us?" Black Star asked, sounding confused.

"The bigger the spell, the larger the space between them. So with any kind of shielding spell on that big of a scale, there should be enough space to walk in pairs between them without tripping them. But to be safe, let's not run right into it when we get there."

"Well, since we got that figured out, let's get going. We're burning daylight." Liz exclaimed, starting off in the direction that would most likely get them killed.

* * *

“Do you guys have any kind of plan for if we run into soldiers while we’re still walking?” Kid asked two days in.

They had been walking nonstop, except for when they settled down for a few hours of sleep. Nobody talked much as they were moving and Liz hadn’t touched her flute in days. Everyone was getting restless and anxious.

“No.” Maka answered.

“Might I suggest we make one since we’re walking straight into enemy territory?” The knight asked indignantly.

“How do you suggest we do if we do run into any marchers?” Patty retorted.

“Well. . .uhm. . .we should. . .”

“Don’t bother.” Maka said. “It’s nice to think about being prepared for an attack, but we never have enough time to prepare for them, so we just don’t. So far we’ve been lucky and came out on top.” Maka rapped her knuckles on a tree as she passed it.

There was that feeling again, the one that compelled Kid to follow the group. Something about the way they all approached things was nice, in a refreshing but stupid and reckless kind of way.

“The most warning we’ve ever had is Maka’s scans of the area. But even then, it’s only so effective, as you’ve demonstrated Kid.” Tsubaki said, the first words she’s said since they left the swamp.

“Aha! She speaks!” Patty exclaimed falling into step with the princess.

“Everyone stop.” Soul ordered from the front. They all did and listened. Soul had a bad feeling. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end and the woods they were walking through were too quiet. The birds weren’t singing and even the wind seemed to stop, the silence they were standing in was defining.

“What’s up?” Black Star whispered, his hand inching to the broad sword on his back.

“We’re not alone anymore.” Soul Eater answered just as softly.

Without a word, Maka scaled the nearest tree to see what she could see. Using a strip of cloth Maka cast a small spell that would allow her to see heat signatures.

They were totally surrounded.

“This is very, very bad.” Maka said as she dropped to the ground.

“How bad is very, very bad?” Soul asked, drawing his sword.

“The amount of people we fought before we added Kid times ten. At least.” Maka pulled the pouch Soul gave her and pulled out a Midnight Flower.

“Great, that means it’ll be about, what? Twenty to one? Thirty?” Black Star’s voice was full of his usual bravado, but it didn’t mask his nerves in the slightest.

“Something like that.” Kid answered, pulling his own long sword from its scabbard.

“You two need to hide, and stay hidden. We can’t be distracted keeping an eye on you while trying to fight everyone off.” Maka’s words were harsh but she didn’t need to worry about her message getting across, they all knew what she meant.

Liz and Tsubaki dove into the underbrush while the other four got into their fighting stances. Patty gave Maka one of the swords they kept from one of the various bounty hunters they’d run into over the past year.

“See you on the other side."

All hell broke lose.

There was no playful banter for this fight. Only warnings yelled to watch someone's back.

It was a long battle; Maka didn't use the sword she was handed very much after the first minute. She was too busy healing everyone, as well as herself.

The fight seemed to last forever. Liz and Tsubaki were well beyond feeling cramped. At every pause of clashing swords, they feared that their family was gone and Tsubaki was going to be torn from her hiding spot. Then the fighting would resume, but didn't ease their anxieties much.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the fight was over. No more knights poured from the woods, no more arrows fell from the sky. They were done. They were alive. They would be okay.

The five of them stood in the middle of the battle feild all about to pass out. They were panting, never getting enough air into their lungs. Maka ate her last Midnight Flower to heal everyone's worst, life threatening wounds, then fainted.

Black Star called to the girls hiding in the bushes. They came out and immediately ran to help everyone.

"How bad is everyone?" Liz asked, wiping blood from Kid's forehead.

"Just minor scratches and fractures, thanks to Maka." Black Star was winding a strip of his shirt around the gash on his bicep.

Soul grabbed his headband from where it fell on the ground, tied it in place and ignored the pain from his wounds. He knelt next to Maka and picked her up, she weighed almost nothing. Like he thought, Maka used the last of her magic to heal all the worst injuries on the rest of them but totally ignored her own.

"We need to find a place to hide and heal and rest." Kid stated.

"I have a safe house near here. It's a few hours walk out of the way, but we'll be safe there. At least for a few days." Black Star offered.

"Lead the way." Patty ordered, leaning heavily on the princess to keep as much weight off her broken leg.

* * *

It was a bit more than a few hours out of their way, but they had no other options. The moon was reaching it's highest point by the time they could see the plain hut in the forest.

"There's not much room, only one bed, and a hole in the roof, but it'll keep us hidden." Black Star cut himself off before he could voice the ominous BUT that they were all thinking. As long as no one tries tracking us with magic.

"It's perfect, Black Star." Tsubaki offered the berserker.

They walked in and, just like with their set up in the cave, Maka got the bed, while everyone took the floor. Kid was the least banged up after the fight, so he took the first watch.

* * *

It took over a week for Maka to wake up. Soul and Tsubaki took turn forcing water and broth down her throat <strike>though it was mostly Soul</strike>. Everyone was beyond worried for the witch when she showed no sign of waking up after the first 24 hours. She didn't move, didn't groan in pain, they could barely see her chest rising and falling as she breathed.

It was just past midnight when she finally showed a sign of waking up. Soul was sitting with his back against the low bed when he felt it shift. In an instant he was kneeling facing the witch, wiping a cool rag across her forehead. Maka moaned and her forehead creased, the way it did when she was trying to focus.

Soul wasn't expecting her to wake up, but he was beyond happy when she groaned a soft "hey."

"How are you feeling?" Soul kept his voice as low as he could, not wanting to add to her pain and not to wake the others.

"I feel like I've been dropped from the moon." She was interrupted by a coughing fit. When it was over, she spit blood onto the pillow. "How long have I been like this?"

"Well this is the first time you've been awake. None of knew if you'd wake up again. But the fight was a little more than a week ago." Maka's eyes widened and started dating around. "Hey, shh, it's okay. We're all okay, thanks to you. Just a few bumps and bruises."

"Where are we?" Maka rasped, wincing at the rawness of her throat.

"A safe house of Black Stars." Soul explained all that had happened since the fight as he helped the witch drink some water.

"I'm glad everyone's okay." Maka yawned and relaxed back into her pillow.

"I'll let you get back to sleep. Just make sure you wake up, got it?" Soul's voice was teasing but tender.

"Promise." The witch rolled onto her side and was asleep instantly.

The bounty hunter didn't notice until he tried to get up to lie down on his own bedding that Maka was holding his hand in hers. Soul smiled and sat back down, leaning against the bed, and fell asleep just as quickly as the witch did.

Tsubaki had woken up when Maka had started coughing. She didn't want to disturb the soft moment that was happening, so she had stayed where she was and listened. When she was sure they were both asleep again, she had made up her mind.

She had been fighting with herself about it all week, but hearing Maka so weak made her mind up for her. Her presence was putting everyone else in too much danger. It didn't matter that they kept saying that didn't mind it, that they would do anything to protect her, being with them would get them killed. Tsubaki couldn't handle that.

The princess sat up and reached into Liz's bag, looking for her paper. When she had finally found it, she wrote her goodbye note in the moon light that streamed in from the hole in the roof. She wasn't going to go back to her old family or the fiance, but she couldn't putting her real family in danger any more.

Tsubaki packed up her things and tucked the sheet of paper in Patty's hand. It was breaking her heart to leave them, but she couldn't stay any longer.

She slipped out silently and made it two hours before she realized that she was headed to the border of the two kingdoms. She would get the Sunsword by herself.

Only, it wasn't just herself anymore. "What the hell, Tsubaki?" Patty's voice rang loud and clear through the predawn forest.

"No. You can't be here!"

"Like hell I can't! You were just going to leave us? Leave me?"

Tears were streaming down the princess's face and she turned to face the rouge. "Yes! I can't stand seeing everyone get hurt trying to protect me anymore! What if one of you dies next time? It'd be my fault! You all say they you're doing this because you want to protect me, but I can't take it anymore!"

"Well fuck that! Fuck you! Fuck everything! I am not going to leave your side. The only way you're going to get rid of me is if I'm dead. So deal with it. I don't care if you hate me for that but I would be crushed if you really actually left."

"No! Patty, you- you- I can't be around you. I'm bad luck." Tsubaki couldn't stop her tears.

Suddenly Patty's expression changed from heart broken and angry, to loving and understanding. "Okay. What are you planning to do?"

The princess didn't answer at first, she was hiccuping to hard to speak. "I'm gonna get the Sunsword by myself. If the legends true, and it protects the weilder from everything, then I'll come back."

"Is it okay if I also go get the Sunsword by myself?" Patty wore a small smile, but her eyes were pleading.

"I think- I think that'd be fine." Tsubaki managed.

"Great, cause I was just going to follow you anyway." The honesty made Tsubaki laugh. It was weak and broken by sobs, but she was happy.

"What about the others? They're going to start looking for us once Maka is better." Tsubaki started after they had been walking for a little ways. The sun wasn't far from rising, the sky was beginning to turn grey.

"Don't worry. I re-wrote your note telling them that we couldn't wait any longer to get the sword. I told Kid to make sure that no one tried to follow us." She paused, letting her explanation ease the others worries. "Oh, by the way, Kid was _very_ impressed at how you managed to slip past him."

Patty could see Tsubaki's blush in the early morning light. "I honestly forgot that he was on patrol."

"Well, either way, very impressive."

"Thank you. So how long until we get to the boarder?"

"We should get there by the day after tomorrow. Around midday."

* * *

The pair reached the edge of the kingdoms at the time Patty guessed they would. They sat in the shade and ate their lunch in silence. When they were done, Patty offered her hand to help the princess up. "Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." They made their way to the boarder and Tsubaki could see two shimmering walls. "Do you see that?" She pointed to the space.

"No. What are you seeing?"

"The two shielding spells. They're beautiful. It's just like Maka said, there's enough room for two to walk side by side."

"But let's not risk it, you know, just in case. I'll go first, stay close to me." Patty set off before Tsubaki could argue, but the princess followed none the less.

They walked and walked, following Tsubaki's instructions on where to go. At one point, she reached forward and grabbed Patty's hand.

The two walked like that, hand in hand, until the sun was gone and the moon was rising. There was little in the way of cover, so they kept moving. Until Tsubaki's hand was no longer in Patty's. It wasn't pulled from her grasp, it just stopped existing there.

"Tsubaki! Tsubaki, where'd you go?"

"I'm right here, can't you see me?"

"No!" Patty took a few steps back the way they came, then suddenly, Tsubaki was standing in front of her. "How'd you do that?"

"I didn't do anything. Can't you see the pocket? It's like a doorway. A doorway made of starlight."

"If we lived in a world that didn't have magic, I'd think you've started to lose it." Patty muttered.

"Take my hand. Let's see if it works if I lead." And it did.

One moment they were standing in a field, the next they were standing in a cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's been less than a week, but I have no sense of time, so you'll just have to yell at me if it's been way longer than that.
> 
> Come scream at me or with me on [Tumblr.](https://growingivyinmymind.tumblr.com/)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of one adventure is just the beginning of a new one.

It was a strange feeling, to walk from a starlit field with a soft breeze that smelled like the wildflowers that were growing, to a cool cave that seemed to be glowing a warm light.

"Where are we?" Patty breathed.

"This must be where the Sunsword is hidden."

"It's beautiful. But I don't understand."

"Don't understand what?" Tsubaki asked, turning and grabbing Patty's hand.

"How come walked straight through it the first time, but not the second time?"

"It must be some kind of safe guard. I had to willingly lead people through it, I couldn't be following them."

"Okay."

The two stood and took in their new surrounding. The air was damp and far in the distance they could head the dripping of water. There were stalagmites and stalactites, some even met making pillars. The strange glowing that they had noticed when they first walked in came from some kind of glow worms. The light from the glow worms was orange in color and reflected off the water on the walls, making it look like the whole place was sparkling.

"This place is beautiful." Patty whispered.

"Come on! Let's go!" Tsubaki tugged the rouge's hand and pulled her deeper into the cave, along the path that seemed both a natural thing and man made.

They walked deeper and deeper into the cave. Never once did the path split, reassuring the girls that they would lose their way.

After they had been walking for what felt like a long time, Patty asked, "how long do you think we've been walking?"

"I don't know. How much longer, do you think, until we find the sword?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I'm exhausted. Can we stop here and rest for a while?" Patty looked over and Tsubaki did look like she was getting very tired.

"Sure. We can stop here and take a nap."

"Thanks." Tsubaki muttered. She sat on the ground, laid on her side and was asleep in seconds.

Patty smiled. If Liz was there, she would laugh at how dopey her sister looked as she was looking at the princess.

* * *

"I wonder how the girls are doing." Black Star stated the day after the two girls had disappeared.

"They'll be fine. They are most likely already in where the sword is hidden." Liz reassured everyone. Ever since Kid announced that they decided to finish the last part of the quest on their own, everyone was on edge.

Soul had half watched as the three went in circles saying that Patty and Tsubaki were okay. Not that he didn't believe it or didn't care, he did, he was still so tired from keeping Maka alive. After she had woken up that night, she didn't show signs of waking up again anytime soon.

"How is she doing?" Kid asked, sitting on the floor next to the bounty hunter.

"Still nothing. I don't know how much longer she can stay like this." Soul readjusted his headband.

"How are you doing, Soul? When was the last time you got some proper sleep?" Kid was keep his voice low, so Black Star could get some sleep after his watch.

"What day is it?" Soul's voice was dry, he wanted the concerned older brother routine to end.

"Soul."

"I'm fine. I'll get sleep when Maka wakes up and stay's awake."

"Alright." Kid got up and went to begin keeping watch.

Taking turn keeping watch was a little pointless. No one had ever been to this house since the last time Black Star had been there. Nobody even knew it existed. Soul shook the thought out of his head. With Maka out of commission, they could never be too careful, and he knew that though the chances of being found there were slim, there still was that small possibility of being found. Soul was getting too tired.

If Maka didn't wake up soon, she wouldn't be the only one that was at risk.

* * *

"Hey, Patty. Get up." Tsubaki's voice woke the rouge up instantly.

"What's wrong? What's happening?"

"Nothing, clam down. Do you hear that?" The two hardly breathed, trying to listen for anything out of place.

"No. What am I listening for?"

"You can't hear the music? Come on, it's coming from this way." Tsubaki pulled Patty up from the floor and led her deeper into the cave.

They went deeper and deeper. It seemed like the cave would never end.

"Tsubaki, do you see that?" Patty asked at some point.

"Yeah, the light is getting brighter." And it was. The golden glow from the worms was getting almost hard to look at, it was so bright.

Their boots splashed through the puddles as they rounded a corner and had to stop. The light was so bright, after so long in the dim cave, it was like looking at the sun.

"Woah." Patty breathed as she took in the sight of a mountain of gold. And on top of the pile was the sword. "Tsubaki, we foun- Hey what's wrong?"

Tears were running down the princess's face but her expression was completely blank. "The music. It's so beautiful. I wish you could hear it."

"Where's it coming from?"

"The Sunsword, it's singing."

The two slowly approached the sword and just took a second to take it in. At first glance, the sword looked so plain, like there was nothing special about it, but upon closer inspection it was a work of art. The handle and hilt were inlaid with tiny diamonds and spiraling wires of gold. The blade was just as breathtaking, even in it's simplicity. The steel was polished to perfection and the air around it seemed to be shimmering. Just like their first impression of the cave, the Sunsword seemed to be glowing a warm yellow light.

"So, you are the new champion." An ancient voice echoed around the cave, so powerful small gold coins and assorted gems slid down the side of the pile.

Patty's hand reached for her sword on instinct. "There's no need for that, brave one. I am merely here to insure that only the worthy are the ones that remove the sword from it's home." The voice sounded neither man nor woman and was coming from all around them.

"Where are you?" Tsubaki asked, pulled from her little trance.

"Do you really wish to see me, little one?" They asked.

"Yes, please." Patty grabbed Tsuabki's hand as she answered.

"Very well." There was a rumbling noise that shook the entire cave. The walls around them seemed to move and before them was the head of a dragon.

They were huge and beautiful. Their scales were dull and brown to match the surface of the cave, but there was a shine to them as well.

"You're beautiful." Tsubaki breathed as she took in the beast in front of them.

"Thank you, little one." As the dragon spoke their moth didn't move, they were speaking directly into the girls mind. "Now, why do you want to take the Sunsword from it's cave?"

"Because we heard that it could keep us safe. My old family is trying to take me back and my friends keep putting their lives on the line to keep me with them. I don't want them to be killed, but they won't stop fighting for me. If we had the sword, they'd be safe." Tsubaki answered, keeping the tears from falling.

"And what was it that you heard the Sunsword could do?"

"Only that it hasn't failed to protect the wielder from harm."

"Would you like to know what it really does?" The dragon asked, watching the two with an unreadable expression.

"Yes."

"It was made with a magic that doesn't exist anymore. The blade is infused with that magic, so as the wielder is holding it, the light bends around them, making them invisible." There was more that the dragon wanted to say, but they wanted to see if the girls were smart enough to ask the right questions.

Patty was still a little too starstruck by the mountain of gold and the live dragon to be thinking straight. But Tsubaki's mind was spinning. "How many could the sword protect?"

"Only one. Two if there is no space between their bodies." They couldn't show it, but the dragon was proud of the little princess. She was incredibly smart for her age, she could see things for what they were. "How many are in your party?"

"There's the two of us, then five more. So seven in total. Is there any way to alter the sword so that is able to protect us all?"

"Are you suggesting destroying perfection to widen it's effect?" There was nothing in the dragon's voice that gave them away.

"Yes." Tsubaki's face was determined and her voice was firm.

"Very well." That was the exact answer the dragon was looking for. For as long as they have been guarding the sword only one had needed it for only them, but they were greedy. Everyone else who had come looking for the sword needed it for their family or friends, but they had been too frightened to challenge a dragon to get what they wanted.

The dragon set to work in altering the form of the Sunsword while the two watched in awe.

"I wonder if Maka is okay." Tsubaki said at one point, not taking her eyes off the dragon.

"Well, you said that she woke up for a little bit, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but you didn't hear her. She could barely talk and Soul had to lift her up to give her water, she couldn't move on her own."

The dragon listened as they let go of the fear for their own well being to worry about their friend. "Is one in your group ill?"

"Yeah. Our witch used too much magic in our last fight, then used whatever was left to heal our injuries. She's been asleep since, except when she woke up for a few minutes before we set off to come here." Patty explained.

The dragon gave no response but continued to work.

While the dragon continued to work, the two girls decided to take a nap. They hadn't had a proper nights sleep since they left the house and they had lost track of how long they had been in the caves.

This allowed the dragon to make one additional medallion, without needing to explain immediately. They dragon was using the steel to make the pendant, taking the diamonds from the hilt and placing them in the center of the steel, and the gold wiring would wrap around and through the pendant and make the string that would hang around their necks. The tricky part of this was making sure the magic was distributed equally between the eight medallions.

* * *

"Guys, we need to move." Black Star came bursting through the door. It had been almost a week since Patty and Tsubaki left and all had been quiet.

"Why?" Kid was reaching for his long sword instantly.

"Lot's of knights headed this way. Way too many for the two of us to fight. As long as they keep moving at their current pace, we'll have a day's head start on them, but that means we need to go now." The berserker was already packing up his things, Death the Kid wasn't far behind.

"We can't. Not with Maka like this." Soul muttered. He had only slept two hours total throughout the week. His red eyes were bloodshot and the three in front of him doubted the bags under his eyes would ever go away.

"You can't fight in your condition, and the two of us can't hold everyone off by ourselves. We need to leave, now. Otherwise, we all get caught and we'll never see each other again." Black Star argued, beginning to pack up Soul Eaters stuff.

"How will the girls know where we're going?" Kid asked.

Liz finished writing something down before she folded the paper up and hid it beneath the third floorboard from the door. "Patty will know where to look and what my message means."

Soul watched and gave in. As dangerous as it was to move Maka, it'd be worse to stay here. He knew that if they were found by the knights, they would imprison him and the others while letting Maka die where she was. On shaky legs, Soul stood and lifted Maka onto his back. "Let's go."

Liz shouldered Maka's pack while Black Star got Soul's, and they were on their way.

* * *

"There you go." The dragon had finished the eight medallions. They handed them over to Tsubaki. "Now, you must remember, because of their new size, they only work at full power for so long. They only need sunlight to recharge. Only wear them when there is no other option."

"Why are there eight? There's only seven of us." Tsubaki asked when the dragon paused.

"The extra is for if you decide to add anymore to your family. Don't lose it. And don't let any others have them. When each of you die, hold on to their pendants, and pass them on to successors if you have them. When the last of you die, they will all reaper back here with me. Do you understand?"

"Yes. What about you? And the map in my head?"

"I will stay here, as I always have. And as for the map in your head, the way it was passed to you, you will pass it on to your children."

"But. . .but I don't think that will happen."

"Understand that family is not the blood that runs through your veins, it is the people you love. Any child you love, as a mother love the child she created, will be your own." The dragon had love in their eyes. It had been so long since they had been eager to relinquish the Sunsword to someone else. They were glad it was this little girl and her protector that had come. "Now go, your family needs your help."

"What do you mean?" Patty asked, tensing.

"They needed to move again, but that is all I can tell. Go, now."

They didn't need to be told anymore. Patty and Tsubaki moved quickly through the cave, adrenaline keeping them from wanting to rest. Eventually they made it to the mouth of the cave and emerged into the field. It was night when they came out and there was a storm raging.

It seemed like a shorter journey to get back to the cabin than it had been to get to the dragon's cave.

When they finally reached the house, it was not only abandoned, but also ransacked.

"Where could they have gone?" Tsubaki prayed that they were all okay.

Patty found where Liz had hid her note and translated it out loud. "They're going backwards. There were soldiers so they had to leave. They're going to stop and stay as long as they can in the places where we added the boys. Kid was the last one we adopted, so we need to get to that cave."

So the girls set off at a relentless pace. Only resting when they couldn't move anymore.

They eventually caught up to the troupe that was pursuing their family.

"I guess now's as good a time as any to test out the pendants." Patty muttered as the two were crouched on the outskirts of the camp.

They put on their medallions and grabbed each others hand, but they could still see each other.

"Are they not working?" Tsubaki asked.

"Let's try this." Patty let go the the princess's hand and took off her pendant. As soon as it was off, Patty couldn't see Tsubaki. She put it back on. "No they work, the dragon must have made it so that when we're both wearing them we can still see each other, but no one else can."

"Cool."

"Come on. We'll go around the camp. Step where I step."

The two made their way around the camp as quickly and quietly as they could, careful not to leave any tracks to follow.

The troupe was _much _larger than they thought it was, they made it around by the time the sun was setting.

"I know you're tired, but we have to keep moving. We're way to close to the soldiers for my liking, besides, we're almost there." Patty urged, on the brink of falling asleep herself. They had taken off the necklaces once they could no longer hear the <strike>loud</strike> army.

* * *

"How long do you think we can stay here?" Kid asked.

The five of them stayed in the cave, not wanting to risk being spotted by scouts or spells. They were all beyond tired, no of them had slept peacefully since they had to start moving.

Once they had reached the cave, Soul passed out as soon as Maka was back on her cot.

"We'll give them one more day, but then we need to keep moving." Liz said.

They had been there barely two days.

Even though there was no one going out to keep watch, someone still stood by the door just in case. Right now it was Black Star that was listening for anyone approaching. He was sitting just inside the mouth, watching as the sun started rising.

Again Soul was only loosely following what the others were saying. Maka had woken up once, for less than a minute, while they were running. He hadn't left her side since then.

"Guys, someone's coming." Black Star's voice came from the mouth of the cave. Kid instantly jumped to grab his sword and meet the berserker at the entrance.

The two boys were ready to strike when they heard a familiar bird call before Patty said "don't attack, it's just us."

There were many welcome back hugs when the girls were inside. When everyone was done, Tsubaki started handing out the medallions and telling the story of what had happened inside of the cave. Including answering questions about why instead of a sword, like they were all expecting, they now had jewelry.

As she was passing them out, something in the back of her head told her to give Maka a specific one. They were all identical but this one _felt _different and Tsubaki had a feeling that this one was for Maka.

Once the pendant was in Maka's spare hand <strike>Soul still refused to let go of the witch's hand</strike> a little bit of color returned to her cheeks and everyone could see her chest rising and falling with deeper breaths.

No one said anything, but they all heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Maka improving so dramatically.

A moment of silence passed between them before Patty asked "what's the plan? How are we going to get away from the knights?"

"We were just going to keep running until you got back with a sword, but since that has changed, we have no idea." Kid explained.

"You all will be fine if you stay in here." Maka's weak voice broke through the conversation. Her eye's were still closed and her voice sounded off, like it wasn't her speaking.

"Maka? How are you feeling?"

"I am not your witch. The little one and the brave one know who I am. Once the medallions crossed the threshold, an illusion was cast over the entrance. It is so powerful that even if someone with an intent to wrong the little on in any way knew there was a cave, they would walk into a solid wall. It will last until the danger is long passed, but all are still free to go in and out as you please. I also took the liberty to help heal your witches body, there is a great deal of internal damage, the rest will be up to her." It was the dragon.

"How are you doing that? Talking through Maka?" Tsubaki asked, looking unbothered by the possession of her friend.

"I placed a small part of my soul in the pendant you put in her hand. Once I am finished fixing her body, the part of my soul that is in her will return back to my own body in my cave. I do not think we will meet again little one, but know that you have been the only one since the making of the Sunsword to truly deserve it. Do not let the world change who you are." With that the dragon was quiet, everyone knew that they were still there, healing Maka, but they wouldn't come back out to talk to them.

* * *

They felt the dragon leave a little after the third day when everyone was back together. When they felt them leave, they all looked to Maka, hoping to see her waking up, but she didn't. She was still asleep. But knowing that she wasn't at risk of dying because of her internal injuries was a big relief. Soul even got some sleep.

While Soul was sleeping, Liz took the opportunity to give Maka a bath. With the help of Patty, Maka's cot, with her still on it, was moved to the side chamber. She was moved back to the back wall once she was clean. Liz also took some of the stress of keeping Maka alive off of Soul Eater by feeding her while he was sleeping or exercising outside.

"I'm going out." Black Star announced suddenly one day, his voice was hard and cold. He had been in a bad mood since the dragon had left, none of them could figure out why. It almost made Liz laugh at how hard Kid tried to be nonchalant in his comforting.

After the berserker was gone, Kid stood and said "I'm gonna follow him." More to himself than the rest of them, but they all heard it and shared a knowing look as the knight left the cave after Black Star.

He barely had a minute's head start, but he was already out of sight.

Kid made his way down into the woods and tried to find Black Star but ended up getting lost.

"Why are you following me, Kid?" Black Star's voice was so sudden in the branches above him, that Kid's foot slipped from rock he was standing on.

"Why are you in such a bad mood, Black Star?" Kid countered, standing as the berserker dropped from the tree.

"I asked you first."

"But I've been asking since the dragon left."

The boy with blue hair didn't speak, he started walking deeper into the woods.

"Black Star, I'm worried about you, we all are. You've barely spoken to any of us and when you have, it was snippy and rude. I just want to make sure you're okay. That you're not going to do anything stupid."

"Do you remember what the dragon said?"

"What part?"

"About Maka needing to want to wake up again?"

"Yeah? What about it?" Kid asked, sitting on a moss covered log watching as Black Star passed in the grass in front of him.

"It's been three days and she still isn't back. What if she doesn't want to come back?" His voice was so uncharacteristically soft, that and what he had said took Kid by surprise.

"Well, she's still breathing, so that _has _to count for something, right?" Black Star didn't respond, he just kept pacing. "Black Star?" No reaction. Kid got up and stood in the way of the others pacing. "Black Star, why is it so important to you? You've only known Maka a few days longer than me, yet you're more worried for her than Liz, Patty and Tsubaki."

He still didn't say anything.

Kid took a deep breath and grabbed Black Star's hands in his own. "Listen to me. Maka is going to be fine. She just needs some time. Then she'll be good as new, plus some time to get her magic back. Okay?"

There was still no response.

Kid took another deep breath and moved his hand to Black Stars face. "Black Star, Maka is going to be fine. Understand me?"

Black Star looked up from the ground and met Kid's gaze. There were tears in his eyes. "You better be right."

"I understand that she's an amazing friend to everyone of us, but why is it so important to you?" Kid asked again.

"I know it's stupid, but I knida think of her as my mom. My real mom was a bitch, but Maka acts how I think a real mom does. Even when the two of us were fighting, she was fighting with such a fierce protectiveness around her. I can't really explain it. I know it's stupid, but that's why."

"It's not stupid." Kid thumbed away the single tear that had fallen. "She does act a lot like a mom. I never knew mine, but when I imagine what she's like, I imagine her how Maka acts."

Black Star didn't say anything in reprocess, he just stared at Kid. His eye's darted to Kids lips, then back up to see Kid do the same.

Slowly, Black Star leaned forward, giving Kid enough time to step back if he was misreading. But Kid stayed where he was, so Black Star closed the gap between them and they were kissing. The second their lips touched, it was like the flood gates broke.

It was a passionate kiss that took their breaths away. When they finally parted they were both gasping for air.

"_Fuck_. You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." Kid panted.

"Oh?"

"Since that first night I stayed with you guys."

Black Star started laughing. "Me too." He answered Kid's questioning stare.

Kid was the one to initiate their second kiss. This one was just as passionate as the first, but this one had a heat behind it, and both wanted to see where it would go.

\---

"I wonder if Black Star and Kid are okay." Tsubaki said as she sat in between Patty and Liz.

"Oh, I'm sure they're more than fine." Liz laughed.

"You're so gross." Patty grimaced.

"What?! I'm just saying. That tension has been building since Kid joined us, and this is the first time the two have been completely alone. Things are bound to happen."

"Okay, I take it back. Please stop talking, Liz." Tsubaki's expression matched Patty's.

Liz laughed silently to herself as Patty and Tsubaki started a quiet conversation amung themselves.

"What are they laughing about?" Maka rasped.

"Hey." Soul was kneeling at the witch's side holding her in a heartbeat. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I haven't drunken anything in years and like someone rearranged my insides." Maka forced her eyes open, but shut them instantly. Even though there was hardly any light in the cave, it was still to bright for her.

"Come on girls, let's let Maka and Soul catch up." Liz said, tapping the princess's shoulder.

The three made their way out of the cave but the two at the back of the cave didn't notice.

"You took a while to wake up. No one would admit it, but we were all starting to wonder if it was a matter of _if _and not _when_."

"How long has it been? And seriously, why do my insides feel all stirred up?"

Soul explain everything as he helped Maka sit up to drink water. He explained the adventure that Tsubaki and Patty went on alone and answered any questions she had.

By the time Soul was done filling Maka in on everything that had happened while she was out, Maka no longer sounded like she'd been drinking sandpaper. At some point, Soul had moved to sit next to Maka on the cot.

She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her again. They sat like that in silence for a while, before Soul Eater asked, "I take it you forgive me then?"

"Forgive you for what?" Maka hummed.

"For keeping your mom's things from you for so long."

"Oh, I forgave you for that the day after you gave them to me. I was just mad at my mom. And since you were the last one I knew had contact with her, I was mad at her through you. If that makes sense." Her words were mumbled.

"I do, only because I'm as tired as you are."

"Why are _you_ so tired?"

"Because I've been the one taking care of you. We've all. . .I've been really worried about you."

Maka took Soul's hand and laced their fingers. "Thank you for worrying."

Soul yawned, which made Maka yawn. "You should get some sleep." Soul whispered.

"I will if you will." Maka countered just as softly.

"Deal."

The two fell asleep leaning on each other. That is how Liz found them when she came back in. Patty and Tsubaki wanted to stay out and watch the sunset.

\---

The next day they were all awake and in the cave together, for the first time in over a month.

"So what are we going to do now?" Maka asked, still sitting on her cot.

"We haven't really thought of it. We were waiting until you woke up to decide anything." Patty said.

"Well does anyone have any suggestions?"

"I miss what we used to do." Liz said, her voice sounding sad.

"What do you mean?" Black Star asked.

"We'd find a place to camp outside some town, buy and trade what we could, steal what we couldn't. Move when there were too many soldiers." Liz's eyes were closed with the nostalgia.

"That sound's fun." Kid said.

"It was." Patty agreed.

Soul was sitting with Maka on the cot holding her hand. "Well, where should we go first?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was a long chapter but now it finished. 
> 
> So, kids, we did it! We made it to the end!
> 
> I really hope you liked it. I had so much fun writing this, I hope you had fun reading it.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me for so long.
> 
> Come scream at me or with me on [Tumblr.](https://growingivyinmymind.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said at the beginning, I have no idea what's happening with this fic, so, sorry. All the characters roles in this are based on traits that they all already have (for the most part) but are hardly shown. I'd thought it'd be cool bring out those traits and see more of them.
> 
> I really hope that this turns out good. I have nothing mapped out. I just let my finger move on their own and hope for the best (that's how I write everything btw, not just this). 
> 
> Your comments and kudos mean the world to me, so, thank you!!
> 
> Buy me tea!


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